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UMNSIAINA  WILD  UK  AM®  IFOSIMQIS  C®MM1 


Vol.  17  Nos.7& 

July-August,  1965 

Coiiscruatum 


I  give  my 

pledge  as  an  American 

to  save  and   faithfully  to 

defend  from  waste  the 

natural  resources  of 

my  country — its  soil 

and  minerals,  its 

forests,  waters 

and  wildlife 


Published  Bi-Monthly 
in  the  interest  of  conser- 
vation of  Louisiana's  nat- 
ural resources  by  the 
Wild  Life  and  Fisheries 
Commission.  400  Royal 
Street.  New  Orleans.  Lou- 
isiana.     70130. 


Speckled  trout  are  the  universal  favorite 
for  the  greatest  number  of  salt  water  fisher- 
men in  Louisiana.  Although  there  are 
approximately  twenty  species  of  fish  which 
ran  be  taken  in  Louisiana's  coastal  waters. 
in  summer  and  in  winter,  too.  the  neneral 
favorite  is  the  speckled  trout.  Found  in 
schools,  the  speckled  trnut  are  smaller.  The 
larger  trnut  travel  in  groups  but  not  in 
massive  numbers  like  smaller  sea  trout. 
Jlere  is  a  typical  catch  of  speckled  trnut, 
considered  fine  fighting  fish  and  practically 
unexcelled  on   the   table. 

(Cover   photo   bu   Steve   Harmon) 


immmih  mm  im  am©  ?^>]ia]2s  ssmm^d?] 


Subscription  Free  to  Louisiana  Residents 
Upon  Written  Request 

JOHN  J.  McKEITHEN 

Governor 


J.  D.  HAIR,  JR. 

Director 


R.  K.  YANCEY 

Asst.  Director 


LOUISIANA   CONSERVATIONIST 

STEVE   HARMON ......Editor 

McFADDEN  DUFFY Staff  Writer 

EDNARD  WALDO - ...Staff  Writer 

ROBERT  DENNIE  Photographer 

LOUISIANA  WILD  LIFE  AND  FISHERIES 
COMMISSION 

JOHN  E.  KYLE,  JR.,  Chairman Berwick 

H.  B.  FAIRCHILD,  Vice  Chairman .....Sunshine 

A.  J.  BUQUET -.- Houma 

JOHN  P.  CRAIN ...Grand  Chenier 

HOBSON  NORRIS West  Monroe 

JIMMIE   THOMPSON ...Alexandria 

H.  CLAY  WRIGHT ..Evergreen 

DIVISION    CHIEFS 
STEVE  HARMON  JOE   L.  HERRING 

Chief,    Education    &    Publicity  Chief,    Fish   and   Game 

JULIUS   L.   BOOK  ALLAN   ENSMINGER 

Chief,     Law     Enforcement  Chief.    Refuse 

TED  O'NEIL  CHARLES   R.   SHAW 

Chief,     Fur     Division  Pittmau-Robertson   Coordinator 

ROBERT    LaFLEUR  HARRY  SCHAFER 

Chief,    Water    Pollution    Control  Dingell-Johnson     Coordinator 

LYLE  S.  ST.  AMANT 
Chief,  Oysters,  Water  Bottoms  and  Seafood 

LARRY    COOK 

Chief    Accountant 


Permission  to  reprint  material  in  this  publication  will  be  granted  provided  that  it 
is  not  used  for  advertising  or  commercial  purposes  and  provided  that  proper  credit 
is  given.  Contributions  and  photographs  are  welcome,  but  Lovisiaxa  Coxservatiox- 
ist  cannot  be  responsible  for  loss  or  damage  to  unsolicited  material.  Manuscripts 
should  be  addressed  to  Editor.  Louisiana  Coxskrv  vtmxist  Wild  Life  &  Fisheries 
Building.    400    Royal    St.,    New    Orleans.    La.      70130. 

Entered  as  second  class  matter  August  21,  1947.  at  the  Post 
Office    at    New    Orleans,    La.,    under    the    act    of    August    24.    1912. 


EDITORIAL 


THE  months  OF  July,  August  and  September 
are  probably  the  most  active  months  for 
boating  activities  of  all  sorts,  ranging  from 
water  skiing,  inland  fishing,  pleasure  cruising 
and  active  participation  in  the  big  fishing  rodeos 
such  as  the  Grand  Isle  Tarpon  Rodeo,  the  Em- 
pire— Southwest  Pass  Fishing  Rodeo — the  Cam- 
eron Deep  Sea  Fishing  Rodeo,  the  Golden  Mead- 
ow Tarpon  Rodeo,  the  Abbeville  Fishing  Rodeo, 
and  scores  of  smaller  but  equally  as  wholesome 
fishing  rodeos  and  contests. 

Boating  accidents  and  drownings  have  in- 
creased sharply  this  year  over  last  year.  There 
were  more  fatalities  in  April,  May  and  June  of 
1965  than  in  any  previous  year.  Many  of  the 
deaths  would  not  have  occurred  if  the  persons 
involved  had  followed  simple  precautions.  I  refer 
specifically  to  several  cases  when  persons  were 
thrown  overboard  from  fast  craft  and  several 
cases  where  boats  underway  turned  over. 

It  can  not  be  stressed  too  frequently  that 
changing  position  while  aboard  a  fast-moving 
speed  hull  or  outboard  motorboat  should  be  done 
carefully  with  a  firm  grasp  on  the  railing  or 
gunwale.  Standing  up  in  a  speeding  boat  is  tanta- 
mount to  inviting  a  boating  accident. 

There  are  other  causes  for  accidents  which  can 
be  avoided.  These  include  over-estimating  the 
capabilities  of  the  boat  in  making  sharp  turns ; 
failing  to  slow  down  when  passing  or  being 
passed  by  another  boat;  and  failure  to  wear  life 
jackets  in  rough  water. 

The  most  tragic  of  all  boating  accidents  are 
those  in  which  family  groups  are  involved.  A 
moment  of  thoughtlessness  can  result  in  the  loss  of 
children,  or  the  children's  loss  of  one  or  both 
parents. 

These  accidents  resulting  in  fatalities  can  be 
curbed  and  virtually  eliminated  if  boaters  would 
determine  to  follow  all  rules  and  regulations 
pertaining  to  boating  safety.  Exercising  common 
sense  in  calculating  the  weight  load  is  important 
to  safety.  Take,  for  example,  an  outboard  motor- 
boat  with  a  recommended  weight  load  of  2000 
pounds.  If  four  men  plan  to  fish  from  the  boat, 
chances  are  the  average  weight  for  four  men  will 
come  to  700  pounds.  Tackle  boxes  and  fishing 
gear  can  easily  add  an  additional  200  pounds. 
Two  or  three  ice  chests  loaded  with  ice,  refresh- 
ments and  sandwiches  can  add  another  200 
pounds.  In  these  days  of  big  motors,  extra  fuel 
tanks  for  long  cruises  can  add  up  to  another  200 

IN  THIS 

Louisiana  Style  Surf  Fishing  2 

Lac  Des  Allemands  4 

Conservation  School  7 

Trial  Teal  Hunting  Season  11 

From  Cattle  to  Shrimp  Boats  13 


J.  D.  HAIR,  JR. 

Director 


pounds.  A  last  minute  decision  by  a  friend  to  join 
the  group,  bringing  his  tackle,  gear  and  own  ice 
^^^^  chest  can  easily  add  an 
additional  300  pounds. 
An  extra  case  of  soft 
drinks  can  bring  even 
a  2000-pound  capacity 
boat  to  full  load. 

If  the  fishing  is  good, 
boaters  can  count  on 
adding  to  the   load.   A 

A  good  catch  will  compen- 

f  sate  for  fuel  consump- 

tion and  the  chances 
:  that  the  boat  will  be 
^  carrying  a  full  load 
when  it  returns  to  the 
dock  are  good. 

It  would  be  wise  to  stress  at  this  point  that 
Louisiana  Law  regarding  life  preservers  tracks 
U.S.  Coast  Guard  regulations  and  that  every 
effort  has  been  made  to  advise  all  boaters  of 
those  regulations  which  are  being  enforced  and 
will  continue  to  be  enforced  until  every  boat  is 
properly  equipped  with  necessary  safety  equip- 
ment. 

Even  when  that  is  accomplished,  boating  safety 
will  depend  in  great  part  on  the  actions  of  in- 
dividual boat  owners.  No  matter  how  much  safety 
equipment  is  aboard,  the  safety  of  the  persons 
aboard  depends  in  great  part  on  the  operator  of 
the  boat  and  the  conduct  of  persons  aboard. 

Carelessness  on  the  part  of  passengers  can 
result  in  a  boating  accident  no  matter  how  careful 
and  experienced  the  person  at  the  controls  may 
be.  It  is  up  to  everyone  aboard  to  exercise  extreme 
caution  in  boating.  This  is  particularly  true  when 
the  boat  is  in  motion. 

As  we  enter  what  might  be  termed  the  peak 
season  for  boaters  in  Louisiana,  this  is  an  urgent 
plea  for  everyone  to  become  safety  conscious  and 
cut  down  what  appears  to  be  a  mounting  number 
of  boating  accidents.  If  everyone  cooperates,  the 
noticeable  increase  in  accidents  can  be  elimi- 
nated. 

We  are  fortunate  in  Louisiana  in  that  we  have 
literally  thousands  of  lakes,  rivers,  bayous  and 
streams  offering  almost  unlimited  boating  activ- 
ity. We  also  have  the  coastal  bays,  canals,  bayous 
and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  A  concerted  effort  by 
all  boat  owners  and  their  passengers  can  stem 
this  sharp  increase  in  accidents  and  prove  to  the 
country  that  not  only  do  we  have  one  of  the 
finest  states  for  all  forms  of  pleasure  boating 
but  we  have  one  of  the  safest  boating  states.     * 

ISSUE 

South  Louisiana  Retriever  Trial  17 

Remarkable  Resource  Research  20 

Boat  Ramps,  Key  to  Water  Access 24 

The  Dolphin  26 

Bird  of  the  Month  Inside  Back  Cover 


Louisiana  Style 


SURF  FISHING 


The  SURF  fisherman  has  always  represented 
a  breed  apart  from  conventional  anglers. 
You'll  find  them  along  the  Atlantic  Coast, 
the  Pacific  Coast,  and  along  the  Gulf  Coast.  But 
the  Southern  surf  fisherman  is  as  different  from 
the  others  as  night  and  day.  He  does  not  wear 
waders,  he  chooses  his  equipment  to  suit  his  par- 
ticular needs,  and  on  the  beach  only  the  fishing 
rod  he  carries  distinguishes  him  from  the  beach- 
comber of  fiction  and  fact. 

He  has  one  thing  in  common  with  all  other 
surf  fishermen.  He  has  discovered  the  fun  of  surf 
fishing.  Some  folks  consider  it  a  sort  of  disease. 
Perhaps  it  is  because  every  fisherman  is  sus- 
ceptible, and  once  bitten  by  the  bug,  neither 
family  nor  position  can  restrain  the  surfcaster 
when  he  hears  that  fish  are  running  along  the 
shore. 

As  far  as  the  family  is  concerned,  the  surf- 
caster  is  a  missionary  and  other  members  of  the 
family  are  likely  to  be  converted.  As  far  as  posi- 
tion is  concerned,  the  angler  walking  on  a  Lou- 
isiana beach  clad  in  watersoaked  pants  and  wear- 
ing worn  and  wet  tennis  shoes  may  be  a  salaried 
salesman  or  a  retired  bank  president. 

A  string  of  speckled  trout  or  a  couple  of  fine 
redfish  slung  over  one  shoulder  makes  them  blood 
brothers  in  a  growing  sport.  One  reason  that  surf 
fishing  is  growing  in  popularity  is  that  one  does 
not  need  a  boat  in  some  of  the  most  popular  surf 
fishing  places.  In  others  reached  by  boat  or  plane, 
the  boat  is  usually  beached  or  the  plane  tempo- 
rarily abandoned  for  the  satisfying  sport  of  wad- 


Surf  fishing  in  Louisiana 
is  about  as  different  as 
night  and  day  when  com- 
pared with  surf  fishing  on 
the  Atlantic  and  Pacific 
coasts.  Basically  a  warm 
water  sport,  anglers  wear 
old  tennis  shoes  and  old 
clothes.  While  there  is  a 
definite  ebb  and  flow  to 
the  surf,  only  in  bad 
weather  are  waves  notice- 
ably present.  Anglers 
wade  out  and  cast.  Both 
spinning  and  casting  tack- 
le are  used. 


This  angler  heading  into  shore  is  carrying  a  stringer 
of  speckled  trout.  This  Grand  Isle  photograph  re- 
vealed how  close  the  surfcaster  is  to  the  highway 
and  cabins  and  other  accommodations.  At  Grand  Isle, 
surf  fishing  is  available  not  much  more  than  a  hun- 
dred yards  from  the  highway  running  from  the  west- 
ern tip  of  the  island  to  the  eastern  end. 

ing  out  into  the  surf  to  cast  for  fish. 

It  should  be  explained  at  the  outset  that  Lou- 
isiana does  not  have  the  same  sort  of  surf  that 
is  found  on  either  the  Atlantic  or  Pacific  Coast. 
There's  no  booming  surf  from  an  inrushing  tide 
and  no  jutting  boulders  nor  a  rocky  shoreline  to 
send  waves  breaking  and  crashing  over  rock  to 
form  flying  scud  and  latherlike  foam  racing  to- 
ward the  beach. 

Steve  Harmon 


Lou isiana   Conservationist 


Instead,  Louisiana  surf  is  gentle — just  the  ebb 
and  flow  of  water  along  the  beach.  And,  while 
the  surf  is  gentle,  the  fishing  can  be  fast  and 
furious  on  good  days,  providing  plenty  of  action 
and  often  a  fuller  catch  than  anglers  fishing 
from  boats  offshore  or  in  the  inland  bays  and 
passes  average. 

WHERE  TO  GO 

The  question  naturally  arises  at  this  point 
"Where  does  an  angler  go  to  enjoy  surf  fish- 
ing-Louisiana style?"  The  most  popular  place,  by 
far,  is  Grand  Isle.  There  is  approximately  seven 
miles  of  productive  beach.  Accomodations  on  the 
island  allow  an  angler  to  be  surf  fishing  in  less 
than  five  minutes  from  his  hotel,  motel  or  cabin 
room. 

There  is  another  place  where  surfcasters  can 
do  equally  as  well,  a  place  easily  reached  by 
automobile.  That's  the  stretch  of  coast  near  Cam- 
eron, in  southwest  Louisiana.  There  are  numerous 
places  which  nearly  duplicate  the  beach  at  Grand 
Isle,  offering  good  surf  fishing  and  sunbathing 
and  picnicking  for  youngsters  and  non-fishing 
members  of  the  family.  The  latter  are  typical  of 
trips  to  the  surf  for  fishing. 

Some  of  the  best  places  are  reached  only  by 
boat  or  airplane.  These  include  the  Breton  Island 
chain,  Timbalier  Island,  Isle  Derniere,  Wine  Is- 
land, Last  Island,  and  one  stretch  of  beach  near 
Point  Au  Fer. 

ABOUT  TACKLE 

When  it  comes  to  tackle,  there  is  a  big  dif- 
ference in  the  tackle  used  along  the  Louisiana 
coast  and  by  surfcasters  in  other  parts  of  the 
country.  The  characteristic  long,  two-handed  surf 
rod,  shown  in  virtually  every  magazine  article 
dealing  with  surf  fishing,  is  significantly  miss- 
ing from  the  Louisiana  surf  fishing  scene.  In  its 
place,  anglers  prefer  light,  fast-tapered  spin- 
ning rods  spooled  with  12-pound  test  monofilia- 
ment  line.  Artificials  predominate  as  lures  and 
few,  if  any,  surfcasters  use  the  pyramid  sinker 
or  the  bank  sinker,  considered  almost  standard 
in  surf  fishing  elsewhere;  or  bait.  A  few  anglers 
will  put  a  pinch  of  shrimp  on  the  hook  of  an  artifi- 
cial, but  most  prefer  to  stick  to  the  artificials. 

Popular  lures  are  the  shad  rig  and  versions  of 
it ;  a  wide  range  of  plugs ;  and  bright  metal  lures 
and  spoons.  Anglers  using  bait  are  plagued  by 
crabs  and  have  too  much  difficulty  in  keeping  the 
bait  on  the  hook. 

Casting  rods  should  not  be  sold  short  in  Lou- 
isiana's surf  fishing.  Those  preferred  are  the 
long,  fast-tapered  rods,  fitted  with  fast,  free- 
spooling  casting  reels.  Monofiliament  line  is  the 
universal  choice  since  it  blends  so  well  in  the 
wash  of  the  surf.  Most  surfcasters  use  what  is 
called  a  "Grand  Isle  stringer."  This  is  about  a 
15  foot  stout  length  of  nylon  line  fitted  at  one 
end  with  a  floating  cork.  The  other  end  is  tied 
about  the  waist.  When  fish  are  caught,  they  are 
strung  on  the  line  from  the  waist  end  and  allowed 
to  slip  backward  to  the  cork  end. 

This  method  of  stringing  fish  keeps  them  at  a 


distance  from  the  angler.  Some  say  to  avoid 
shark  injury;  but  most  say  to  keep  the  fish  away 
from  the  wading  angler  when  he  is  fighting  and 
catching  more  fish.  Whatever,  the  reason,  the 
long  stringer  is  considered  standard  equipment. 
A  landing  net  of  the  type  used  in  northern  trout 
fishing  shows  up  occasionally  but  most  Louisi- 
ana surfcasters  prefer  to  grasp  the  fish  by  hand, 
tucking  the  butt  of  the  rod  into  the  belt  while 
the  fish  is  removed  from  the  lure  and  placed  in 
the  long  stringer. 

BEST  MONTHS 

The  best  months  for  surf  fishing  in  Louisiana 
are  from  May  until  late  October.  There  are  in- 
dications that  the  movement  along  the  Louisiana 
coast  of  speckled  trout,  redfish,  white  trout  and 
a  few  pompano  close  to  shore  is  an  east  to  west 
movement.  Best  results  apparently  are  on  hand  in 
May  around  the  Breton  Island  chain,  with  pro- 
gressively better  results  westward  as  summer  ap- 
proaches. 

This  is  a  different  sort  of  fishing ;  but  for  those 
dedicated  surf  anglers  it  has  an  appeal  that  is 
second  to  none.  When  word  gets  out  that  the  fish 
are  in  the  surf  there's  a  noticeable  rush  for  the 
beaches.  It  is  one  that  is  increasing  in  popularity 
each  year.  * 


Steve  Harmon 

This  fine  string  of  speckled  trout  represents  about 
an  hour's  fishing  in  the  surf  at  Grand  Isle.  Even 
larger  catches  are  made  at  some  of  the  offshore  is- 
lands which  must  be  reached  by  boat.  Grand  Isle  is 
probably  the  most  popular  spot  because  of  the  ac- 
commodations— housing,  restaurants  and  other  facil- 
ities. 


July-August,  1965 


Lac  Des 
ALLEMANDS 


HARRY  E.  SCHAFER,  JR. 

When  YOU  GO  fishing,  are  you  a  specialist? 
Do  you  just  fish  for  bass  and  then  try 
only  for  the  big  ones?  Are  you  a  crappie 
fisherman,  and  like  to  catch  saddle-sized  ones? 
How  about  bream — do  you  like  to  catch  them  on 
a  fly  rig  or  cane  pole  and  line?  Catfish,  anyone? 
If  you  are  a  specialist  or  just  a  run  of  the  mill 
fisherman  who  fishes  for  fish,  the  place  to  try 
is  Lac  des  Allemands. 

Lac  des  Allemands  is  located  in  southeast  Lou- 
isiana in  St.  John  the  Baptist,  Lafourche,  and 
St.  Charles  Parishes.  The  lake  is  approximately 
thirty-five  miles  west  of  New  Orleans  on  U.  S. 
Highway  90  and  ten  miles  north  of  Raceland. 
Tourist  accommodations  are  available  in  Race- 
land,  and  on  the  highway  to  New  Orleans.  There 
are  several  commercial  boat  launching  ramps 
where  you  can  launch  your  own  hull,  and  places 
where  you  can  rent  boats  and  use  your  own 
motor. 

Lac  des  Allemands  is  a  large,  natural  lake 
more  than  24  square  miles  in  area.  The  30  mile 
shoreline  is  ill-defined  because  of  the  fertile 
swamp  and  marsh  that  is  confident  to  the  lake. 
It  is  a  fairly  shallow  lake  that  becomes  rough 
when  a  good  steady  wind  is  blowing.  It  is  subject 
to  periodic  tidal  effects  of  water  movement  from 
the  Gulf  through  Barataria  Bay,  Little  Lake,  and 
Lake  Salvador.  It  is  virtually  a  freshwater  lake, 
except  during  unusually  high  tides  that  accom- 
pany storms  and  hurricanes  moving  inland  from 
the  Gulf. 

For  exceptional  crappie  fishing,  try  this  lake 
in  early  spring.  Bass  are  caught  year  round,  but 
the  best  time  is  late  spring  and  early  summer. 
Bream  are  always  available.  Sport  fishing  cat 
fishermen  congregate  in  this  area  in  late  May, 
June  and  July.  Those  who  like  to  catch  crabs 
will  also  find  satisfaction  in  the  bayou  that  enters 
this  lake.  Shrimp  can  also  be  taken  in  this 
bayou.  This  is  an  area  where  the  whole  family 
can  fish  for  the  species  of  their  choice. 

As  important  as  this  lake  is  for  sportfishing 
and  recreation,  it  is  also  important  as  a  com- 
mercial fishing  lake.  This  lake  supports  over  50 
families  that  fish  full  time.  No  estimate  can  be 
made  of  the  number  of  part-time  fishermen  who 
supplement  their  wages  with  money  derived  from 
fishing.  Many  school  children  in  the  area  fish 
part  time  for  spending  and  lunch  money. 

To  appreciate  the  economic  value  of  this  lake 
as  a  producer  of  catfish,  you  need  only  check  the 
records  of  the  fish  buyers  in  the  area.  In  1964 
more  than  two  and  a  half  million  pounds  of  cat- 
fish were  bought  by  wholesale  buyers.  This  rep- 


Photos   by   the   Author 

The  contents  of  the  can  is  poured  through  a  dip  net 
for  future  handling  by  research  biologist. 


Typical  type  can  used  on  research  project — Catfish. 


The  top  of  this  research  can  was  spread  open  so  that 
the  mass  of  fish  eggs  could  be  seen  on  the  bottom 
of  can. 


4 


Louisiana    Conservationist 


resents  a  minimum  poundage  because  records 
were  not  available  from  all  of  the  buyers. 

Because  of  the  importance  of  this  lake,  the 
Louisiana  Wild  Life  and  Fisheries  Commission 
is  conducting  an  intensive  program  to  study  and 
manage  the  lake  for  the  benefit  of  present  and 
future  generations.  As  in  all  other  areas,  there 
was  a  little  dissension  between  the  sportsmen  and 
commercial  interests,  and  also  among  local  fac- 
tions of  commercial  fishermen.  The  problems  in- 
volved in  these  dissensions  run  the  gamut  from 
biological,  to  socio-economic,  and  to  enforcement. 
During  this  study  an  annual  fish  population  sur- 
vey will  be  taken  in  order  to  determine  the  kinds 
and  numbers  of  fish  present.  On  a  recent  prelimi- 
nary fish  population  survey,  using  a  one  acre 
blockoff  net  and  rotenone,  it  was  estimated  that 
the  productivity  of  this  lake  was  over  400  pounds 
of  fish  per  acre.  These  sets  were  made  in  open 
water  and  catfish  comprised  approximately  90% 
of  the  total  population.  Of  this  catfish  popula- 
tion 90c/o  were  channel  catfish  with  the  other  10 % 
being  made  up  of  blue  and  Opelousas  catfish.  The 
population  sample  indicated  that  there  are  many 
pounds  of  large  buffalo  and  gar  not  being  har- 
vested, because  the  lake  was  closed  to  the  use  of 
nets.  Netting  would  be  the  only  method  of  re- 
moving this  natural  resource,  which  is  not  now 
being  utilized. 

In  order  to  determine  the  accuracy  of  our  fish 
population  survey  with  reference  to  the  buffalo 
and  gar  present,  the  Louisiana  Wild  Life  and 
Fisheries  Commission  opened  the  lake  to  gill  nets 
with  a  bar  mesh  of  four  and  one-half  inches. 
During  the  30  days  that  the  lake  was  fished  with 
these  large  mesh  gill  nets,  44  thousand  pounds 
of  buffalo  fish,  and  15  thousand  pounds  of  gar 
were  taken  and  sold  by  the  commercial  fisher- 
men. It  was  interesting  to  note  that  these  large 
mesh  nets  only  caught  two  hundred  pounds  of 
catfish.  The  largest  gar  taken  weighed  130 
pounds;  the  largest  buffalo  was  49  pounds;  and 
the  largest  catfish  was  52  pounds.  Gar  was  be- 
ing sold  by  the  fishermen  for  five  cents  a  pound. 
During  this  short  period,  the  commercial  fisher- 
men took  over  70,000  pounds  of  large  fish  using 
approximately  21  hundred  feet  of  gill  netting. 

After  some  time  Commission  personnel  fished 
a  small  mesh  gill  net  for  seven  nights  to  make 
a  comparison  between  catches.  This  net  caught 
400  pounds  of  fish;  over  three  hundred  pounds 
were  gizzard  shad,  seven  pounds  were  mullet,  and 
only  three  pounds  were  catfish. 

Other  phases  of  research  are:  observing  the 
food  habits  of  the  important  species,  checking 
their  reproduction  in  order  to  determine  if  fish 
are  being  reproduced  to  replace  the  ones  caught, 
conducting  chemical  and  physical  analyses  of  the 
water  on  a  monthly  schedule  and  examining  the 
bottom  fauna  population  and  other  sources  of  food 
for  the  fish.  Fish  are  being  tagged  with  a  long 
yellow  plastic  bag  to  determine  their  migration 
and  growth  rates.  Cooperation  of  the  fishermen 
is  requested  in  returning  information  about  these 
fish.  The  information  needed  is  place  where  fish 


The  front  end  showing  throat  of  round  wooden  slat. 
These  are  used  exclusively  for  catfish  research. 

was  caught,  the  weight  and  the  length  of  these 
fish,  and  the  date  the  fish  was  caught. 

At  this  writing  the  only  legal  method  for  com- 
mercial fishing  in  Lac  des  Allemands  is  the  use  of 
a  trot  line  with  the  hooks  two  feet  apart.  Usually 
this  is  a  good  way  to  catfish,  but  there  are  several 
periods  during  the  year  when  food  is  so  abundant 
that  the  fish  will  not  bite.  During  the  spawning 
period  catches  are  low.  Trot  lines  are  not  the 
best  method  to  harvest  buffalo,  carp  and  gar. 

A  unique  way  of  catching  catfishes  evolved 
years  ago  in  this  area  when  small  boys,  swim- 
ming in  the  lake  and  bayou,  discovered  that  when 
they  pulled  up  old  cans  and  tires  from  the  bot- 
tom, fish  would  be  in  most  of  them.  It  then 
followed  that  commercial  fishermen  would  uti- 
lize this  method  for  fishing.  Five  and  ten  gallon 
cans  with  a  hole  cut  in  the  top  to  permit  entrance 
would  be  put  out  in  a  row.  Then  the  fisherman 
gets  into  the  water,  locates  his  cans,  lifts  them 
out  of  the  water  and  empties  the  contents  into 
a  dip  net. 

It  was  thought  by  some  that  this  method  hurt 


Construction  of  a  square  wooden  slat  trap  that  is 
used  to  catch  catfish  for  research  purposes.  Data 
is  being  collected  by  biologist  to  determine  feasibility 
of  this  type  of  fishing. 


July-August,  1965 


the  catfish  population  because  the  cans  were  used 
by  the  fish  as  spawning  containers.  A  prelimi- 
nary research  survey  was  conducted  and  is  being 
continued  at  this  time.  The  results  of  this  survey 
are  reported  in  a  measurement  of  a  can-day.  A 
can-day  is  one  can  fished  for  24  hours.  Based  on 
306  can-days  fished  by  commission  personnel  in 
the  past,  86  channel  catfish  ranging  in  length 
from  11.5  inches  to  19  inches  were  caught;  on 
121  can-days  the  cans  were  empty;  only  one  fish 
was  present  in  the  can  on  26  can-days  (11 
females  and  15  males)  ;  two  fish  were  present  in 
the  cans  on  30  can-days  (the  sexes  present  in 
equal  proportions)  on  eight  can-days  eggs  were 
present-twice  after  the  can  was  in  the  water  for 
24  hours,  once  while  in  the  water  for  48  hours, 
twice  while  in  the  water  72  hours,  once  while  in 
the  water  96  hours  and  twice  when  the  can  had 
been  in  the  water  for  a  period  of  120  hours.  One 
can  had  fry  catfish  present  after  the  can  had 
been  in  the  water  72  hours. 

The  data  for  the  present  can  study  has  not 
been  completely  analyzed  as  yet,  but  ripe  mature 
fish  nine  inches  are  being  taken  in  the  cans.  This 
9  inch  length  is  in  contrast  to  the  11.5  inch  mini- 
mum of  previous  years.  These  small,  but  mature 
fish  would  indicate  that  this  population  is  crowded 
and  the  fish  growth  stunted.  These  facts  indicate 
that  more  of  these  fish  should  be  harvested  to 
alleviate  the  problem. 

Another  fishing  device  that  has  been  checked 
throughout  the  state  and  in  Lac  des  Allemands 
is  the  wooden  slate  trap.  The  results  of  both  of 
these  studies  indicate  that  this  is  an  efficient  de- 
vice for  catching  catfish  and  that  other  species 
are  only  taken  in  insignificant  numbers.  The  use 
of  slat  traps  were  legalized  by  the  legislature  in 
1960,  but  the  law  was  suspended  by  Senate  Con- 
current Resolution  Number  11,  making  slat  traps 
illegal.  The  Commission's  statewide  research 
study  shows  that  98.6%  of  the  catch  was  catfish, 
and  of  the  catfish  caught  90  %  were  channel  cat- 
fish. The  traps  were  baited  with  several  kinds 
of  bait  including  cheese,  cottonseed  cake,  dog  food, 
commercial  catfish  bait  and  others.  Some  were 
fished  without  bait  and  some  were  fished  with 
decoys.  For  the  Lac  des  Allemands  study  over  98  % 


of  the  total  was  channel  catfish  averaging  almost 
15  inches  in  length. 

A  new  device  that  is  now  being  used  around 
the  state,  but  not  at  Des  Allemands  is  the  yo-yo. 
It  is  a  spring  loaded  reel  having  several  feet  of 
line  on  a  spool.  To  set  it  for  action,  the  line  is 
pulled  from  the  spool  so  as  to  place  the  hook  at 
the  desired  depth.  This  compresses  a  spring  which 
powers  the  spool  winding  in  the  line  when  it  is 
struck  by  a  fish.  The  device  can  play  a  large  fish 
yielding  line  as  the  fish  pulls  hard  and  retrieving 
line  as  the  fish  tires.  In  open  water  the  yo-yos 
are  strung  on  a  long  line,  similar  to  a  trot  line 
suspended  just  above  the  water.  In  the  study  by 
commission  personnel  the  catch  composition  was 
over  86%  commercial  fish  and  fourteen  percent 
game  fish.  The  commercial  fish  were  present  in 
percentages  of  54%  bull  head  and  23%  channel 
catfish.  The  hooks  were  baited  with  various  baits 
including  minnows,  crawfish,  worms,  crickets, 
and  others. 

Each  lake  and  area  has  its  own  problems.  The 
total  picture  must  remain  in  view  when  deter- 
mining a  fish  management  plan  for  a  lake.  Com- 
mercial fishing  is  a  good  management  tool  since 
it  removes  rough  and  commercial  fish  from  the 
lake.  It  provides  a  livelihood  for  many  people, 
not  only  those  actively  engaged  in  fishing  but 
wholesale  and  retail  dealers,  net  and  twine  com- 
panies, boat  and  motor  dealers,  gasoline  dealers 
and  others.  It  utilizes  a  recurring  natural  re- 
source that  would  be  wasted  if  not  harvested  an- 
nually. 

It  is  best  to  harvest  the  annual  crop  of  fish 
over  the  year  so  that  the  market  is  not  flooded 
with  fish,  causing  the  price  to  drop  so  low  that 
the  fishermen  cannot  meet  expenses.  For  this  rea- 
son more  than  the  biology  of  the  lake  should  be 
considered  when  setting  regulations. 

As  the  Louisiana  Wild  Life  and  Fisheries  Com- 
mission is  charged  with  the  administrative  man- 
agement and  development  of  the  state's  fishing, 
its  personnel  are  always  searching  for  better  ways 
to  manage  waters  so  that  the  sportsmen  will 
have  shorter  time  between  bites  and  more  places 
to  fish  and  that  commercial  fishermen  can  earn 
decent  living  wages  with  less  effort  from  our 
many  rich  productive  waters.  * 


Four  kinds  of  fish  that  are  removed  by  commercial 
fishing:  Bowfin;  alligator  gar;  longnose  gar  and 
shortnose  gar. 


This  nine  inch  channel  catfish  was  taken  from  a 
research  can.  She  was  full  of  eggs  and  ready  to 
spawn. 


Louisiana    CONSERVATIONIST 


First  Graduating  Class 


Second  Graduating  Class 


Photos  by  Bob  De 


Wildlife  Employees  Attend 

Conservation   School 


IN  A  widespread  organization  such  as  the  Lou- 
isiana Wild  Life  and  Fisheries  Commission 
it  is  not  only  important  that  individuals  know 
their  own  jobs,  but  it  is  also  necessary  they  have 
a  pretty  good  idea  of  what  their  fellow  employees 
are  doing  and,  most  important,  what  policy  to 
follow.  This  is  an  essential  part  of  good  personnel 
management.  With  this  and  other  things  in  mind 
the  Commission  recently  held  a  series  of  four  in- 
service  training  schools  in  cooperation  with  Lou- 
isiana State  University. 

Each  of  the  four  school  terms  were  for  two 
week  periods  with  lectures  and  forums,  motion 
pictures  and  other  visual  aids  each  day — Mondays 
through  Fridays  at  Pleasant  Hall  on  the  Baton 
Rouge  campus.  The  four  classes,  lasting  two  weeks 
each,  were  held  between  February  22  and  May 
21. 

Those  attending  came  from  all  parts  of  the 
state  and  were  drawn  from  all  divisions.  They 
were  housed  in  a  campus  dormitory.  Meals  were 
served  "on  the  house"  three  times  daily;  coffee 
breaks  occasionally.  All  Commission  personnel  at- 


tending were  impressed  with  the  fact  that  theirs 
was  an  important  job  and  vital  to  the  function- 
ing of  the  state  agency. 

On  Monday  of  the  first  session  the  new  stu- 
dents were  welcomed  to  LSU  by  Dr.  Paul  Y. 
Burns,  Dr.  James  H.  Perry  and  Dr.  Robert  J. 
Muncy  of  the  LSU  School  of  Forestry.  This  was 
followed  by  the  first  session  and  Dr.  Lyle  St. 
Amant,  chief  of  the  Oysters,  Waterbottoms  and 
Seafood  Division,  first  speaker  up,  lectured  on 
Louisiana's  Coastal  Resources. 

"With  the  exception  of  oil  and  gas  our  fish- 
eries are  Louisiana's  largest  industry,"  Dr.  St. 
Amant  told  the  classes  which  were  attended  by 
at  least  90  percent  of  the  entire  personnel  of  the 
commission. 

"Our  three  principal  species  of  shrimp  produce 
60  to  80  million  pounds  annually;  oysters  10  to 
15  million  pounds  annually  and  total  production 
of  all  species  is  700  million  to  1  billion,  100  mil- 
lion pounds". 

"The  northern  Gulf  of  Mexico  produces  31  per- 
cent of  all  fishery  poundage  in  the  United  States 


Third  Graduating  Class 


Fourth  Graduating  Class 


July-August,  1965 


1.  Edward  Boudreaux,  assistant  director  of  University  College,  LSU,  was  one  of 
the  faculty  welcoming  the  enrollees  on  behalf  of  the  University  which  sponsored 
the  in-training  school.  2.  Charles  Van  Carlton,  Federal  Game  Agent  with  Jack 
Botes,  veteran  Federal  Agent  (not  in  picture)  spoke  on  game  laws.  3.  Robert 
Smothers,  radio  technician  from  the  Wharf.  4.  Captain  Mark  Cambre,  Louisiana 
State  Police,  explained  the  techniques  of  Interviews  and  Confessions.  5.  Larry 
Cook,  left,  and  Roger  Hunter,  right,  spoke  on  Wildlife  Regulations  and  Necessity 
1°'  »1L1m%.!n*C°"ec*  ond.  Prompt  Reports.  6.  Claude  LeBlanc,  Superintendent  of 
the  Wharf  Equipment  Maintenance.  7.  Commission  Attorney  Frank  Klein  aove 
interpretation  of  Wildlife  Laws  8  Allan  Ensminger,  Chief  of  the  Refuge  Divifio* 
9.  Dr.  Lyle  St.  Amant.  Chief  of  the  Oysters,  Water  Bottoms  and  Seafood  Division 
in  ■?  °,"nZ"'VrlS  <SeV"!!  G;eatesr  Industry,  Seafood  and  Products  of  the  Gulf. 
m/..™  i  ciNec'i.  Cll,efc  "J  *h!  Fur  D.'visi0n<  Louisiana-s  Fur  Future.  11.  Dr.  Robert 
Muncy,  LSU   Schoo    of   Forestry,  spoke   on    Life    History  of   Some    Important   Louisi- 

?5°  Qllh!f.j  °Jldv<,ISO  WO!  a-Tn9  $ose  of  *he  'acu,ty  who  welcomed  students. 
12.  Richard  K.  Yancey,  Assistant  Director,  explained  Commission's  Chain  of  Au- 
thority and  distributed  charts  for  students.  13.  Joe  L.  Herring,  Chief  of  the  Fish 
and  (Same  Division,  told  of  the  Growth  of  Game  Management  as  a  Profession 
14.  Dr.  Bryant  Bateman  Professor  of  Game  Management,  LSU,  Highlights  in  the 
Development  of  Game  Management.  IS.  Dr.  Leslie  Glasgow,  Wate?fowl  Manage- 
ment.  16.  Dr.  Frank  Carroll,  Director  of  University  College,  LSU.  17.  John  D  New- 
»m  director  of  the  Cooperative  Wildlife  Unit  at  LSU,  The  Eastern  Wild  Turkey, 
H.«  Lifi  uli* Hob,t5tiReau"0'"en^ond  Management,  also  the  White-Tailed  Deer 
io  5.  ^  .  Management.  18.  Sam  Murray,  wildlife  coordinator  and  lec- 
WW.   19.   Robert  LaFleur    Chief  of  Water   Pollution    Control,   Discussion    of  Wc"r 


turer. 
Polluti 
ordinator. 


ond    Stream    Pollution    Control.    20.    Cobu 


Hood,    inservice 


Louisiana  Conservationist 


1  State  Police  officer  Anthony  Martello  demonstrates  Judo  hold  on  Willie  Tanne- 
nill  of  the  Fish  and  Game  Division.  2.  Deep  interest  and  enthusiom  marked  the 
dosses  ot  the  in-training  school.  3.  Students  or  in-tre ming  schoo  are  seen  attend- 
I™  s  ' ,  lerture  4  Members  of  the  Commiss  on  visit  training  school  during  a  s( 
eft  to  right/ a!  M Tuquet"  H  B.  Foirchild,  H.  Clay  Wright,  Ray  W  hot  ley,  J .... 
Si™';  j'  E  Kyle,  Jr.,  and  J.  D.  Hair,  Jr.,  Director.  S.  Captain  Richard  Horton, 
If  theP  State  Police7,  addresses  and  instructs  school  personnel  on  the  Firing  Range 
6  Representatives  from  E.  Baton  Rouge  at  Graduation  banquet;  left  to  right, 
William  lemhOfd,  Eugene  McGehee,  Carl  Dawson,  Mrs  Lillian  Walker.  7.  Agent 
Nick  Niehous  receives  diploma  from  fellow  townsman  Andrew  Edwards  Mayor  of 
Ponchoroula,  right.  8.  Everybody  got  acquainted  at  eoffra  brooks farid  bill Ises- 
I;",  o  Wildlife  Instructor  J.  D.  DeBlieu  left,  receives  his  diploma  from  Chairman 
J^hn  E  Kyle,  Jr.  Assisting  is  Leonard  New,  seated  at  left,  is  Steve  Harmon,  Chief 
of  the  Education  and  Publicity  Division.  10.  This  is  a  birds-eye  view  of  one  of  the 
orariuatian  classes  at  banquet.  11.  H.  B.  "Cotton"  Foirchild,  addresses  class  at 
ornHuni ion  Chairman  John  E.  Kyle,  Jr.  is  seated  at  left.  12.  At  graduation  class 
speake  sToble  o™  «n "left  to  right-  ^rector  J.  D  Hair,  Jr.,  J.  E.  Kyle  Jr.,  Chair- 
man- H.  B.  "Cotton"  Fairchild,  vice-chairman,  and  Commission  member  Hobson 
Norris.  13.  Dr.  Robert  J.  Muncy,  of  LSU,  presents  Enforcement  Agent  Irwin  Derm 
with  diploma  as  Wildlife  Instructor  Alvin  Carter  assists.  14  Reeves  "^ewee"  Gog- 
nous  of  the  Fur  Division,  proudly  displays  his  diploma.  15.  Commission  Chairman 
John  E  Kyle,  Jr.,  is  seen  addressing  a  graduation  class.  16  Commission  member 
u.faL..  Nnrrk  addresses  one  of  the  graduation  classes.  17.  Enforcement  Agent 
Fran  Reno  lef?  is  being  f?nge Sprinted  by  State  Police  officer  at  class.  18.  Few 
subiects  wire  ove  looked I  at  the  in-service  school.  Students  are  seen  listening  and 
observing  mstructions  in  personal  defense.  19.  A  Wildlife  end  Fisheries  law  enforce- 
ment aolnt  takes  aim  on  the  practice  range.  20.  Final  examinations  at  in-training 
school Twere  giUeli  to  form  an  opinion  os  to  the  volue  of  the  lectures  end  recep- 
tivity. No  marks  were  given  out. 


July-August,  1965 


and  about  38  to  40  percent  of  all  fishery  value 
in  this  country.  Louisiana  production  makes  the 
biggest  part  of  this  total,"  Dr.  St.  Amant  told 
fellow  employees. 

Steve  Harmon,  Chief  of  the  Education  and 
Publicity  division  spoke  on  the  "History  of  the 
Louisiana  Wild  Life  and  Fisheries  Commission" 
and  pointed  out  that  the  commission  was  an  out- 
growth of  a  group  constituted  in  1872 ;  and  which 
was  known  as  the  Oyster  Commission.  "How- 
ever," Harmon  added,  "research  on  records  shows 
that  this  group  had  an  even  earlier  parent  con- 
stituted in  1857,  which  makes  ours  rank  among 
the  pioneer  wildlife  conservation  bodies  in  our 
nation." 

Joe  L.  Herring,  chief  of  the  Fish  and  Game 
Division,  spoke  on  "Wildlife  and  Fisheries  Work 
Programs."  His  talk  was  accompanied  by  visual 
aids. 

"The  past  few  years  have  witnessed  the  de- 
velopment of  a  new  profession,  that  of  wildlife 
management,"  Herring  said.  "The  wildlife  man- 
agement field,  as  it  now  has  developed,  is  based 
on  the  concept  of  multiple  land  use.  Much  of  the 
game  now  harvested  in  the  United  States  must 
be  produced  as  a  secondary  product  of  the  land 
along  with  other  products  such  as  timber  or  agri- 
cultural crops,"  Herring  told  the  classes. 

Richard  K.  Yancey,  assistant  director,  spoke 
on  "Commission  Organization  and  Authority". 
Yancey's  talk  clearly  defined  the  division  and 
chain  of  authority  in  the  Wild  Life  and  Fish- 
eries Commission  and  was  accompanied  by  vis- 
ual charts  on  a  screen.  Later  students  were  given 
copies  of  these  charts  to  place  in  their  notebooks. 

Frank  Carroll,  Director  of  the  University  Col- 
lege, under  whose  invitation  and  supervision  the 
in-training  schools  were  held,  delivered  a  one 
hour  talk  on  "Basic  Supervision." 

During  the  first  afternoon  sessions  Paul  Gray 
of  the  LSU  Department  of  Speech  delivered  a 
talk  on  "Oral  Communications"  and  Roy  Shaefer, 
Secretary  of  the  Louisiana  State  Employees  Re- 
tirement System,  spoke  on  the  "Retirement  Pol- 
icy". John  E.  Leibert  of  the  Department  of  Civil 
Service  for  Louisiana  explained  and  clarified 
some  of  the  Civil  Service  rules  and  regulations. 
At  the  7  P.M.  session  Captain  Richard  Horton, 
of  the  State  Police  Department,  explained  the 
why's  and  wherefore's  of  "Finger  Printing".  This 
was  accompanied  by  actual  demonstrations  of  the 
technique. 

At  Tuesday's  opening  session  McFadden  Duffy, 
staff  writer  for  the  Louisiana  Conservationist, 
spoke  on  "news  release  policies".  This  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  talk  by  Steve  Harmon  on  "policy  of 
magazine." 

Sam  C.  Murray,  Wildlife  Instructor,  who  with 
Coburn  Hood,  assistant  to  the  director,  acted  as 
coordinators  for  the  school,  spoke  on  "Courtesy 
and  School  Programs."  Other  features  of  the 
morning  program  were  a  talk  on  displays  and 
the  film  library  by  Wildlife  Instructor  Vincent 
Pizzolato,  instruction  on  "Photography"  by  Staff 


Photographer  Robert  Dennie  and  a  talk  on  the 
"Museum  Schedule"  by  Steve  Harmon.  "Averag- 
ing 100,000  visitors  a  year  from  every  state  in 
the  Union  and  most  foreign  countries,  it  is  our 
hope  that  the  museum  has  increased  interest  in 
wildlife  in  all  age  groups  and  taught  the  need 
for  conserving  our  diminishing  wildlife,"  Har- 
mon said.  "Eight  hundred  and  seventy  nine  speci- 
mens and  a  collection  of  birds'  eggs  are  on  dis- 
play at  the  Commission's  headquarters  in  New 
Orleans." 

Tuesday's  late  morning,  afternoon  and  night 
sessions  were  conducted  by  Roger  Hunter,  Su- 
pervisor of  Revenue  for  the  Commission,  and 
Leonard  New,  assistant  chief  of  the  Enforcement 
Division,  spoke  on  "Sport  Fishing  Laws  and 
Commercial  Fishing  Laws."  Larry  Cook,  Chief 
Accountant,  also  from  the  Commission,  spoke  on 
"Wildlife  Regulations".  Mr.  Cook  gave  the  com- 
plete rundown  on  how  to  handle  time  sheets,  sick 
leave,  accident  reports  and  routine  paper  work 
most  essential  to  the  employee  and  management 
operation.  These  talks  were  followed  by  a  tour 
of  the  LSU  campus  and  later  Hunter  conducted 
a  "Fishing  Law  Panel"  at  the  night's  session. 

Early  sessions  Wednesday  featured  talks  by 
Claude  LeBlanc,  superintendent  of  the  "Wharf" 
accompanied  by  motion  pictures  and  slides  fea- 
turing boating  safety  and  care  of  equipment. 

Captains  James  L.  Buckner  and  Joseph  W. 
Deytens  of  the  U.  S.  Army  R.O.T.C.  Detachment 
at  LSU,  discussed  map  reading.  Joe  L.  Herring 
spoke  on  "Archery  Equipment."  The  entire  after- 
noon, after  lunch,  was  devoted  to  firearms  prac- 
tice on  the  LSU  range.  After  dinner,  Robert 
Smothers,  chief  of  the  radio  section,  spoke  on 
"Communications." 

Friday  was  a  short  day  for  the  students,  first 
class  was  conducted  by  Ted  O'Neil,  Chief  of  the 
Fur  Division.  O'Neil  spoke  on  the  outlook  of  the 
fur  industry  in  Louisiana  and  other  aspects  of 
the  trade  and  "Louisiana's  Trapping  Laws." 

Joe  L.  Herring  followed  with  an  hour's  dis- 
cussion of  "Game  Laws."  A  short  program  was 
presented  by  Civil  Defense  representatives  Bent 
ley  J.  Mackay,  Jr.  Jack  Bates,  veteran  federal 
game  agent  closed  the  program  for  the  week  with 
an  hour's  talk  and  the  students  departed  to  their 
homes  for  the  week-end. 

The  second  week's  schedule  began  Monday  with 
a  talk  by  Robert  LaFleur,  chief  of  the  water 
pollution  division.  LaFleur  spoke  on  the  "Charac- 
teristics of  Water  Pollution  and  Indications  of 
its  Presence."  He  outlined  the  steps  which  should 
be  taken  by  those  appealed  to  for  its  arrest, 
abatement  and  attention. 

The  rest  of  the  sessions  were  concerned  with 
lectures  on  game  management  ending  with  a  talk 
by  Allan  Ensminger,  Chief  of  the  Refuge  Divi- 
sion. On  the  game  management  programs  were 
Dr.  Bryant  Bateman,  Professor  of  Game  Man- 
agement, LSU;  Dr.  Leslie  Glasgow,  LSU,  and 
John  D.  Newsom,  former  Chief  of  the  Fish  and 
Game  Division,  now  director  of  the  co-operative 


Louisiana  Conservationist 


wildlife  unit  at  LSU.  Dr.  Glasgow  delivered  two 
papers  and  Newsom,  four.  Dr.  Robert  J.  Muncy 
of  the  LSU  School  of  Forestry  spoke  at  the  night 
session  accompanying  his  talk  with  a  general 
discussion  and  a  film. 

Tuesday  morning's  sessions  were  devoted  to 
Freshwater  Fish  Management  with  papers  read 
by  Dr.  Muncy  and  Dr.  O'Neal  Smitherman, 
leader  of  the  co-operative  fisheries  unit  at  LSU. 
This  was  followed  by  a  talk  by  William  Herke 
of  the  U.  S.  Fish  and  Wildlife  Service  which  was 
also  on  Freshwater  Fish  Management.  The  rest 
of  the  afternoon  was  devoted  to  lectures  by  Dr. 
St.  Amant  on  "Marine  Shellfish  and  Fish  Man- 
agement." Joe  L.  Herring  closed  the  day's  pro- 
gram with  a  "Fish  Management  Panel". 

Wednesday  was  devoted  to  the  methods  used 
by  the  law  from  simple  arrests  to  personal  de- 
fense in  which  students  were  shown  the  latest 
Karate  and  Judo  methods  of  defense.  This  class 
was  conducted  by  officers  Tony  Martello  and 
Charles  Bayley  of  City  of  Baton  Rouge  Police. 
Stanley  Sbozen  of  the  State  Highway  Depart- 
ment, aided  by  the  representatives  of  the  Ameri- 
can Red  Cross,  conducted  classes  and  gave  a  lec- 
ture on  the  essentials  of  first  aid. 

On  the  early  programs  were  featured  "The 
Laws  of  Arrest"  by  Julian  Martin,  Director  of 
Law  Enforcement  at  LSU,  "Routine  Patrol"  by 
Wally  Moll,  of  U.  S.  Internal  Revenue  Service, 
"Gathering  and  Preserving  Evidence,"  by  Ray 
Herd,  of  Louisiana  Department  of  Public  Safety, 
"Interviews,  Statements  and  Confessions  by  Cap- 
tain Mark  Cambre,  of  Louisiana  State  Police. 

Thursday's  classes  concerned  "Note  Taking  and 
Report  Writing",  "Search  and  Seizure",  "Law  of 
Evidence",  and  "Where  Cases  are  Tried".  All  of 
the  day's  sessions  were  conducted  by  commission 
attorney  Frank  Klein.  These  were  followed  by 
the  final  examination  prepared  by  Dr.  Muncy. 

Friday  morning  sessions  were  also  presided 
over  by  attorney  Klein  and  this  was  followed 
by  a  review  of  the  previous  day's  examinations 
by  Dr.  Muncy.  Dr.  Muncy  explained  that  no  grades 
were  given  because  the  examinations  were  given 
to  form  conclusions  as  to  how  the  classes  had 
succeeded. 

Last  activity  of  the  school  was  the  graduation 
luncheon  at  which  students  were  presented  with 
their  diplomas.  * 


Deer  are  apparently  unable  to  focus  on  a  sta- 
tionary object,  but  they  can  see  the  slightest 
movement  and  focus  their  eyes  upon  the  object 
that  has  moved. 


When  handled,  the  glass  snake  squirms  violent- 
ly and  breaks  off  his  tail  which  sometimes  falls 
into  several  pieces.  The  glass  snake  isn't  a  snake 
but  a  lizard.  No — the  pieces  which  fall  from  the 
glass  snake  won't  grow  back  together  nor  will 
they  individually  form  new  snakes.  He  is  com- 
pletely harmless. 


TRIM  TEAL 
HUNTING  SEASON 

R.   K.  YANCEY 

During  mid-August  migrant  blue-winged  teal 
will  begin  arriving  in  Louisiana  from  the 
Canadian  Prairies.  The  initial  flight  will 
be  followed  rapidly  by  hundreds  of  thousands 
of  additional  teal  in  late  August  and  early  Sep- 
tember as  the  fall  migration  increases  in  size 
and  scope. 

On  September  18,  a  9-day  experimental  teal 
hunting  season  will  begin  in  the  State  as  an- 
nounced in  the  May-June  issue  of  the  LOUISIANA 
conservationist.  Plans  for  conducting  this  hunt, 
which  will  end  on  September  26,  have  long  since 
been  finalized  and  the  mechanics  are  now  in  mo- 
tion. 

The  daily  bag  limit  will  be  4  and  the  possession 
limit  will  be  8.  The  season  will  be  open  on  both 
blue  and  green-winged  teal  but  all  hunters  are 
reminded  that  NO  OTHER  species  of  waterfowl 
can  be  taken  during  this  particular  period,  which 
will  be  held  well  in  advance  of  the  regular  duck 
season. 

Hunters  will  be  required  to  have  in  their 
possession:  1,  special  federal  teal  permit;  2,  state 
hunting  license,  and  3,  federal  duck  stamp.  The 
special  teal  permit  can  be  obtained  free  by  ad- 
dressing a  letter  to  the  "Teal  Section,  Louisiana 
Wild  Life  and  Fisheries  Commission,  400  Royal 
Street,  New  Orleans,  Louisiana  70130."  The  Com- 
mission is  already  processing  applications  for 
these  permits  and  THE  CLOSING  DATE  TO 
APPLY  WILL  BE  AUGUST  15,  1965.  After  that 
date  it  will  be  impossible  to  secure  a  permit 
from  the  Commission  since  all  permit  forms  must 
be  returned  to  the  U.S.  Bureau  of  Sport  Fish- 
eries and  Wildlife,  Washington,  D.  C,  on  August 
16.  These  dates  should  be  kept  in  mind  and  if 
you  wish  to  participate  in  this  hunt  by  all  means 
write  in  before  the  deadline.  In  applying  include 
your  full  name,  mailing  address,  and  the  Parish 
in  which  you  reside. 

The  special  permit  system  is  being  used  in  order 
to  obtain  full  information  on  the  results  of  the 
hunt.  Since  this  season  is  strictly  experimental 
it  is  essential  that  information  be  gathered  as 
to  the  effect  of  shooting  pressure  on  the  teal 
populations  and  the  waterfowl  resource  as  a 
whole.  The  U.  S.  Fish  and  Wildlife  Service 
is  the  federal  agency  charged  with  the  mainte- 
nance of  waterfowl  populations  in  this  country 
and  it  justifiably  wants  statistics  on  the  outcome 
of  the  trial  hunt  in  order  that  sound  decisions  can 
be  made  when  considering  other  such  hunts  in 
the  future. 

The  special  permit  system  will  provide  the 
names  and  addresses  of  each  hunter  going  afield. 
This  in  turn  will  make  it  possible  to  accurately 
determine :   1,  total  number  of  hunters  partici- 


July-August,  1965 


Jack    Brill 

Teal  fly  low  and  fast  in  flocks  when  moving  from 
one  marsh  pond  to  another. 

pating;  2,  total  number  of  ducks  bagged  by 
species,  and  3,  sex  and  age  ratio  of  ducks  bagged. 
This  will  be  but  a  part  of  the  research  activities 
connected  with  the  program.  Banding  stations 
will  be  operated  and  numerous  checks  will  be 
made  in  the  field  to  gather  other  essential  infor- 
mation on  which  the  results  of  the  season  can  be 
evaluated. 

The  application  date  for  permits  is  being  cut 
off  on  August  15  in  order  for  the  U.  S.  Fish 
&  Wildlife  Service  to  have  30  days  in  advance  of 
the  opening  of  the  season  to  contact  a  number  of 
hunters  by  mail.  Envelopes  and  other  material 
for  the  collection  of  duck  wings  will  be  provided 
each  hunter  contacted  and  everyone  is  requested 
to  cooperate  fully  since  this  is  an  important  phase 
of  the  research  effort. 

The  opportunity  to  take  a  few  teal  during  Sep- 
tember before  the  flights  move  on  to  the  winter- 
ing grounds  in  Central  and  South  America  has 
long  been  advocated  by  Louisiana  duck  hunters. 
Now  that  this  has  been  realized,  although  there 
is  some  red  tape  as  outlined  above,  it  is  going 
to  be  up  to  the  hunters  of  the  state  to  make 
sure  the  outcome  will  be  favorable.  Every  effort 
should  be  made  by  each  hunter  going  afield  to 
cooperate  and  abide  by  all  the  rules  and  regula- 
tions in  every  way.  Extreme  caution  should  be 


gggV 

Jack  Brttt 

Concentration  of  teal  in  a  shallow  marsh  pond  in 
September.  Hundreds  of  thousands  migrate  through 
Louisiana  during  the  early  fall. 


exercised  in  avoiding  the  shooting  of  waterfowl 
species  other  than  teal.  If  this  should  happen  the 
chances  of  getting  other  similar  seasons  in  the 
future  will  very  likely  be  slim. 

A  pamphlet  prepared  by  the  Wild  Life  and 
Fisheries  Commission  will  be  mailed  out  with 
each  special  teal  hunting  permit  and  all  hunters 
are  urged  to  read  this  carefully  and  study  the 
identification  diagrams.  Veteran  duck  hunters 
should  have  no  trouble  distinguishing  teal  from 
other  waterfowl  while  out  in  the  marshes  since 
these  small  speedy  ducks  bear  little  resemblance 
to  the  other  species  that  will  be  present  during 
the  season.  Teal  normally  fly  low  and  fast  in 
flocks  back  and  forth  across  the  marshes  and 
this  characteristic  plus  their  small  size  should 
readily  separate  them  from  the  mottled  ducks, 
pintails,  shovellers,  wood  ducks,  and  widgeon  that 
will  also  be  present  in  limited  numbers.  Novice 
hunters  will  do  well  to  blind  up  with  a  veteran 
who  can  readily  identify  teal  at  long  distances. 
We  would  urge  all  hunters  NOT  TO  SHOOT  AT 
A  DUCK  UNTIL  A  POSITIVE  IDENTIFICA- 
TION HAS  BEEN  MADE. 

This  short  season  will  offer  a  great  amount  of 
fine  sport  for  waterfowlers  who  make  proper 
preparations  in  advance  of  September  18.  Lo- 
cating a  likely  spot  to  hunt  in  advance  of  the 
season  is  certainly  recommended  and  blinds  or 
other  means  of  concealment  while  hunting  should 
be  devised. 

It  is  estimated  that  up  to  two  million  blue- 
winged  teal  pass  through  Louisiana  during  the 
fall  and  these  coupled  with  the  few  green-winged 
teal  that  will  be  present  will  make  possible  good 
shooting,  particularly  in  the  coastal  marsh  areas 
where  water  and  food  is  available.  * 


ATTENTION 
TEAL   HUNTERS 

Season — September  18  through  26,  1965 — 
Dates  inclusive 

Teal  Bag  Limit — 4  daily;  8  in  possession. 

Bag  may  include  blue  or  green-winged  teal 
— No  other  species  of  waterfowl  may  be 
taken. 

Shooting  Hours — Sunrise  to  sunset. 

Teal  season  is  opened  statewide  in  Louisi- 
ana. 

Each  hunter  must  have  in  possession  while 
hunting: 

1.  A  special  teal  hunting  permit.  Closing 
date  for  issuing  these  permits  will  be  August 
15,  1965.  Apply  to  Commission  office  in  New 
Orleans  at  once. 

2.  A  State  hunting  license  (except  under 
16),  or  a  State  hunting  permit  if  over  60 
years  of  age. 

3.  A  Federal  Duck  Stamp  (for  those  16 
years  or  older.) 

All  other  federal  and  state  hunting  regu- 
lations must  be  closely  observed. 


12 


Louisia7ia  Conservationist 


From  Cattle  to  Shrimp 


EDNARD  WALDO 


LUGGERS,  schooners,  outboards,  sportsmen's 
boats,  trawlers,  and  even  pirogues — there 
are  more  than  200,000  of  these  and  other  craft 
plying  Louisiana's  waters.  Approximately  70,000 
of  these  vessels  are  registered  by  the  Louisiana 
Wildlife  and  Fisheries  Commission. 

These  boats,  of  all  shapes  and  sizes,  dot  our 
coastal  waters,  bays,  bayous  and  rivers.  Among 
this  vast  number  of  boats  there  are  7,000  licensed 
craft  which  bring  in  the  nation's  leading  seafood 
crop.  Yet,  except  for  the  thousands  of  men  en- 
gaged in  the  industry,  very  few  landlubbers  and 
week-end  sportsmen  can  identify  the  more  pop- 
ular of  the  fishing  craft  which  constitute  the 
backbone   of   this   multi-million   dollar   industry. 

Identification  wise,  take  the  "Lafitte  Skiff". 
This  shallow-draft  craft,  really  an  oversized  skiff, 
is  about  22  to  24  feet  in  length,  and  is  usually 
powered  by  a  200-275  (horse  power)  marine 
engine  mounted  amidships  and  can  run  the  pants 
off  a  great  many  so-called  "speedboats"  with  its 
average  of  25-50  miles  per  hour. 

Strange  to  say  this  innocuous  looking,  flat- 
bottomed  boat  has  caused  the  Law  Enforcement 
Division  its  full  share  of  trouble  in  the  hands  of 
the  law  breaker. 

Until  the  Louisiana  Legislature,  several  years 
ago,  passed  a  law  setting  the  minimum  fine  for 
illegal  trawling  at  $200  plus  permanent  confis- 
cation of  the  net  for  trawling  for  shrimp  in 
closed  waters  the  lawbreakers  had  a  picnic. 

The  general  practice  was  for  the  lawbreaker, 
when  observed  trawling  in  forbidden  waters  by 
enforcement  agents,  to  cut  his  trawl  loose  at  a 
marked  spot  and  make  for  some  small  ditch  in 
the  marsh  and  abandon  the  skiff  after  eluding 
the  agents.  Later  he  would  return  and  recover  the 
skiff  and  the  trawl.  If  caught  in  his  hiding  place, 
the  fisherman  would  later  be  fined  $25.  Twenty- 
five  dollars :  of  course  this  was  the  price  of  several 
hampers  of  shrimp  that  the  illegal  trawler  could 
easily  take  on  his  next  foray.  So  even  capturing 
the  lawbreaker  and  fining  him  was  no  deterrent 
until  the  Legislature  slapped  them  down  with 
the  aforementioned  law.  Since  that  time  convic- 
tions have  dropped  from  100  to  21  (last  season) 
and  are  still  dropping  because  the  patrols  operate 
in  conjunction  with  one  of  the  commission's 
planes  which  spots  the  lawbreakers  and  by  means 
of  walkie  talkies  informs  the  patrol  boats  which 

July-August,  1965 


BOATS! 


One  of  the  most  unique  boats  in  Louisiana  is  this 
dory-type  skiff  called  a  "Gondola"  which  is  used 
extensively  around  the  crawfish  center  of  Pierre 
Part.  The  operator  stands  while  rowing. 


Steve  Harmon 


close  in.  The  game  just  isn't  profitable  any  more, 
say  law  enforcement  agents. 

The  Lafitte  skiff  has  proven  an  excellent  boat 
for  operating  a  small  trawl.  There  are  2,000  of 
them  licensed  and  fishing  in  our  waters.  Learn 
to  identify  them  and  you  are  on  your  way  to 
graduation  from  the  landlubber  class. 

Next  on  the  list  are  the  inside  trawlers  which 

Outboard-powered  boats  such  as  these  are  used  by 
the  Commission's  Enforcement  Division  to  enforce 
boating  regulations  and  sometimes  rescue  work,  and 
sometimes  transportation  for  Miss  Louisiana. 


13 


1.  Boohs  are  many  things  to  many  people.  In  this  picture  the  v.  hoi 
family  polishes  while  father  rests  in  the  sunshine.  Trailer  will  take  then 
later  to  launching  ramp.  2.  This  is  a  lugger-type,  full-cabin  work  boat.  I 
is  used  in  seismic  operations/  often  tows  barges.  It  has  ample  sleepirn 
accommodations.  3.  A  typical  scene  along  the  bayous  is  the  re-conditionin< 
of  craft  in  the  off  season.  This  Biloxi  lugger  will  be  ready  for  the  nev 
shrimp  crop.  4.  This  "fast  moving"  Crew  Boat  is  typical  of  the  new  craf 
used  for  transporting  oil  rig  crews  to-and-from  their  locations.  5.  Out-of 
state  off-shore  trawlers  usually  run  from  50  to  60  feet  and  operate  in  dee| 
waters  when  shrimping  is  good.  They  come  to  Louisiana  waters  from  othe 
Gulf  states  in  season.  6.  This  is  part  of  the  fleet  that  has  come  to  Gram 
Isle  and  awaits  the  opening  of  the  shrimp  season.  Similar  congregation' 
of  boats  are  to  be  seen  all  along  the  Gulf.  7.  This  is  the  mud  boat  use. 
to  get  through  the  narrow  canals.  It  can  and  often  does  dig  its  own  cana 
where  there  is  enough  shallow  water  to  float  it.  8.  Lafourche-typt 
trawlers  such  as  this  one  average  from  30  to  40  feet  and  are  used  for 
trawling  in  inland  waters  and  off-shore  in  good  weather.  9.  Probably  thi 
most  numerous  of  fishing  craft  is  the  Lafitte  skiff.  Don't  be  fooled  b) 
appearance.  With  its  200-50  h.p.  motor  it  can  run  rings  around  most 
boats.  10.  This  lugger-type,  30-40  foot  Florida  shrimp  trawler  is  built  foi 
use  in  inland  waters  and  is  quite  often  a  one-man  operation.  11.  Crew 
boats  such  as  these  transport  petroleum  workers,  to  and  from  the  rigs. 
12.  This  may  be  called  a  typical  combination  fishing,  shrimping,  and 
pleasure  boat.  Note  the  folding  platform  on  rear  for  handily  operating  the 


trawl.  13.  This  deep-sea  double-rig  trawler  is  built  for  heavy  weather  and 
its  crew  may  stay  out  for  a  week  or  so  if  necessary.  There  are  many  of 
these  to  be  seen  dotting  the  Gulf.  14.  This  pirogue-type  duck  boat  is 
used  at  the  Commission's  Pass-a-Loutre  public  shooting  grounds.  It  is 
easily  transported  and  maneuverable  in  very  shallow  water.  15.  Called  a  "Jo 
Boat",  this  fast  and  highly  maneuverable  craft  is  a  30-footer  and  capable 
of  a  speed  of  more  than  30  miles  per  hour.  It  is  used  by  the  South  Lou- 
isiana petroleum  industry.  16.  This  plywood  or  plank-type  pirogue,  often 
prefabricated  at  the  lumber  yard,  is  taking  the  place  of  the  more  difficultly 
made  dug  out  craft.  This  method  of  transportation  has  not  lost  its  popularity 
among  fishermen.  17.  in  recent  years  the  butterfly-net  boat  has  arrived 
on  the  shrimping  scene.  The  nets  are  lowered  to  a  level  above  the  water 
and  catch  migrating  fish  and  shrimp  at  night.  18.  This  U.  S.  Coast 
Guard  patrol  boat  is  seen  in  outside  waters  where  it  plays  a  large  part 
in  law  enforcement  and  rescue  work  at  sea  (official  U.  S.  Navy  Photograph). 
19.  This  is  a  typical  oyster  lugger.  These  craft  may  be  seen  operating  in  the 
oyster  producing  centers  of  the  Gulf  from  the  Atchafalaya  Bay  area  to  the 
Mississippi  state  line.  20.  This  "Flying  Bridge  Yacht",  or  raised-deck  cabin 
cruiser,  is  seen  outfitted  with  outriggers  for  deep  sea  sports  trolling. 
21.  Menhaden,  or  Pogie  boats,  account  for  about  one  billion  pounds  of 
fish  annually.  Purse  boats  are  seen  drawn  alongside  while  the  seine  is 
unloaded.  22.  Shallow  draft  tugs  such  as  this  40-foot  one  are  used  on 
waters    of    the    marshes.    This    one    draws    about    five    feet. 


consist  of  a  fleet  of  30-40  foot,  sturdily  built 
boats  constructed  especially  for  the  industry.  In 
this  group  come  other  boats  converted  to  trawlers, 
boats  of  these  classes  hardly  ever  venture  out  into 
the  open  Gulf  and  hence  are  called  "inside  trawl- 
ers". Then  again,  still  in  this  group,  are  the  oyster 
luggers.  Many  of  these  are  rigged  with  trawl 
booms  during  the  shrimping  season  and  operate 
as  shrimp  boats. 

In  another  group  are  the  outside  trawlers.  Some 
of  these  craft  are  as  large  as  75  feet  in  length 
and  are  deep  draft  and  built  for  service  in  the 
sometime  heavy  waters  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 
Among  these  are  to  be  seen,  the  out-state,  or 
non-resident  trawlers  and  oyster  luggers.  These 
are  usually  very  large  boats.  According  to  licenses 
issued  for  1963,  there  was  a  total  of  947  out-of- 
state  fishing  craft  operating  in  Louisiana  Gulf 
waters  out  of  Alabama,  Florida,  Mississippi  and 
Texas. 

Totals  for  all  groups  operating  in  1963,  accord- 
ing to  licenses  issued,  showed  that  there  were 
7,025  craft  in  outside  and  inside  waters  in  the 
seafood  industry. 

To  return  to  the  smaller  boat  class,  there  is 
the  Harry  Clan  boat  developed  from  the  Hacker 
Craft  model  by  the  Bucktown,  Jefferson  Par- 
ish boatbuilder,  Harry  Clan.  This  so-called  "Buck- 
town  Boat",  like  many  others,  is  a  V-bottom  boat, 
24  to  26  feet  in  length  with  a  three-quarter 
cabin  and  features  an  overhanging  shrimp  plat- 
form on  the  rear.  It  is  estimated  that  Clan  has 
produced  as  many  as  500  of  these ;  most  are  now 
in  operation  in  all  parts  of  Louisiana's  Gulf 
waters. 

Probably  one  of  the  most  unique  craft  used  in 
the  state's  freshwater  seafood  industry,  besides 
the  pirogue,  is  the  shallow  draft  skiff  used  by 
crawfishermen  who  operate  out  of  Pierre  Part,  a 
little  village  which  is  one  of  the  centers  of  Lou- 
isiana's huge  crawfish  industry. 

This  boat  is  propelled  by  the  use  of  long  oars 
attached  to  fixed  oarlocks,  which  are  in  turn  at- 
tached to  a  board  which  crosses  the  boat  from 
side  to  side  amidships.  It  is  operated,  either  back- 
ward or  forward,  by  a  man  who  steers  and  ma- 
nipulates the  oars  while  standing  in  the  boat. 
There  is  also  a  similar  craft  used  along  the  Mis- 
sissippi and  other  rivers.  It  is  a  double  ender 
with  a  square  bow  and  stern  and  is  cross-planked. 
It  is  hand-poled  and  called  a   "John  Boat". 

Licensed  in  the  commercial  fishing  fleet  are 
the  menhaden  vessels  which  process  these  fish  for 
meal  and  oil.  These  craft  are  called  "pogie"  boats. 
The  boats  work  in  teams  of  three,  the  "mother" 
boat  and  the  two  seine  boats.  The  menhaden  boat 
cannot  be  confused  because  whenever  in  opera- 
tion the  two  smaller  boats  will  be  seen  hovering 
around  the  mother  boat  working  their  purse 
seines.  Since  it  is  primarily  a  cargo  boat  and  not 
in  search  of  food  and  game  fish,  the  large  mother 
boat  is  permitted  to  operate  close  to  shore  except 
in  the  Grand  Isle  area.  The  vessels  are  rather 
large  and  feature  a  conspicuous  cabin  forward 
and  a  crows  nest  for  observation.  The  schools  of 


menhaden  are  often  spotted  by  plane.  Menhaden 
fishing  is  a  multimillion  dollar  industry — land- 
ings range  from  650  million  to  1  billion,  100 
million  pounds  annually. 

Added  to  this  fleet  of  licensed  commercial 
fishermen  are  the  trawling  operations  of  a  vast 
number  of  sports  fishermen  who  employ,  for  the 
most  part,  16-foot  trawls.  These  require  no  li- 
cense, provided  no  more  than  100  pounds  of 
shrimp  are  taken  daily  per  boat  and  no  shrimp 
are  sold,  hence  their  numbers  may  only  be  esti- 
mated. It  has  been  roughly  calculated  that  there 
are  approximately  15,000  sportsmen  who  trawl 
for  bait  and  for  their  deep  freezers.  Yet  this  does 
not  appear  to  be  too  high  an  estimate  since  there 
are  approximately  70,000  small  boats  registered 
under  the  small  boat  numbering  law  in  our  state 
operating  with  motors  of  more  than  ten  horse 
power.  No  one  knows  how  many  lesser  horsepower 
boats  are  in  operation. 

Now  while  there  are,  by  comparison,  a  few 
sports  fishermen  operating  with  licenses  for  50 
foot  trawls,  it  is  estimated  that  the  unregistered 
sports  fishermen  account  for  a  considerable  vol- 
ume of  seafood  taken  annually  which  does  not 
appear  on  the  records.  It  would  be  difficult  to 
classify  this  heterogeneous  fleet  which  vary  from 
large  pleasure  yachts  to  skiffs  with  small  out- 
board motors. 

But  getting  back  to  boats,  if  you  should  run 
across  a  sort  of  barge-like  contraption  loaded 
with  cattle,  this  is  a  "cattle  boat"  and  is  to  be 
found  on  the  bays  and  bayous  moving  cattle  from 
one  place  to  another,  mostly  for  grazing  pur- 
poses. The  chenieres  of  the  Louisiana  gulf  coast 
support  quite  a  large  cattle  industry. 

Another  unique  craft  is  the  Butterfly  Net  Boat. 
In  lieu  of  the  usual  trawl  with  otter  boards  the 
boat  is  equipped  with  square  "wings"  made  of 
strong  pipe  and  fashioned  so  that  they  may 
swing  out  and  be  lowered  into  the  water  from 
both  sides  of  the  boat.  The  trawl  net  is  laced  to 
these  frames  which  are  lowered  so  that  the 
frame's  top  clears  the  water.  The  net  operates 
from  the  top  of  the  water  and  descends  to  about 
two  feet  from  the  bottom. 

The  butterfly  net  is  used  mostly  at  night  to 
catch  the  fish  and  shrimp  as  they  migrate  near 
the  surface  of  the  water  at  night.  The  boat  some- 
times is  anchored  in  a  bayou  and  allows  the 
shrimp  swimming  with  the  current  to  be  trapped 
in  the  net.  The  mouth  of  the  net  is  then  lifted 
out  of  the  water  and  contents  hauled  aboard.  If 
not  anchored  the  boat  will  proceed  at  about  four 
miles  per  hour  and  gather  the  fish.  Some  butter- 
fly nets  are  operated  from  pilings  and  are  sta- 
tionary. Lights  are  sometimes  used  to  concen- 
trate the  fish  and  shrimp. 

These  nets  are  used  in  Florida  and  were  in- 
troduced in  Louisiana  waters  several  years  ago. 
Fishermen  in  Mexico  and  other  countries  used 
the  butterfly  nets  for  centuries  and  call  them 
by  that  name.  It  is  possible  that  the  Louisiana 
prototype  got  its  name  from  them.  * 


16 


Louisiana   Conservationist 


McFadden  Duffy 

Here,  spectators  line  one  of  the  Bonnet  Carre  Spillway  roads  watching  a  water  retrieving  event.  In  addition 
to  owners  and  handlers  from  all  parts  of  the  country,  some  retriever  fans  drove  as  much  as  a  thousand  miles 
to  be  on  hand  for  the  three-day  classic  show  of  teamwork  between  handler  and  retriever. 

South  Louisiana  Retriever  Trial 


McFADDEN   DUFFY 

IN  May  the  Bonnet  Carre  Spillway,  now  being 
managed  by  the  Louisiana  Wild  Life  and 
Fisheries  Commission  as  a  public  hunting, 
fishing  and  recreation  area,  was  the  site  of  the 
first  American  Kennel  Club  Licensed  Retriever 
field  trial,  sponsored  by  the  South  Louisiana  Re- 
triever Club. 

Aside  from  being  the  first  Licensed  field  trial 
of  the  South  Louisiana  Retriever  Club,  the  three- 
day  event  marked  the  first  major  activity  in  the 
Bonnet  Carre  Spillway  since  it  was  leased  from 
the  Corps  of  Engineers  by  the  Louisiana  Wild 
Life  and  Fisheries  Commission  to  be  managed 
and  enhanced  for  public  use. 

Among  the  many  prominent  trainers  and  dogs 
from  all  over  the  country  brought  to  Louisiana 
for  the  Licensed  trial  were  Tom  Sorenson  of  Casa 
Audlon  Kennels,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  with  field  trial 
champions  "Thunder  of  Audlon,"  and  "Blackjack 
of  Audlon"  and  "Sand  Gold  Kim,"  a  national  final- 
ist in  1964;  Gene  Kirby,  Spring  Valley  Kennels, 
Theodore,  Alabama,  with  "Quein  Sabe's  Black 
Ace,"  and  "Rickey's  Lou"  and  "Ebony  Mood's 
Bingo;"  Ford  Graham  of  Nesbit,  Mississippi,  with 
"Treadwells  Dan'l  Boone;"  Floyd  Hayes  of  Katy, 
Texas;  Henry  J.  Livingston  and  Knox  Wright, 
Nashville,  Tennessee,  with  their  outstanding  dogs. 

Outstanding  retriever  handlers  attending  the 
field  trial  included  Mrs.  Mahlon  B.  Wallace,  Jr., 
St.  Louis,  Missouri ;  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Julien  Fertitta, 
Beaumont,  Texas ;  S.  G.  B.  Tennant,  Houston ; 
Paul  Provanzano,  also  of  Houston ;  Noxie  Romano, 
another  Houston  handler;  Lee  Broussard,  Beau- 
mont, Texas ;  Bill  Hardeman,  Lake  Charles,  La. ; 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Robert  Wood,  Monroe,  La. ;  G.  Rob- 
ert Pidgeon,  Memphis,  Tennessee ;  Miss  Allison 
Kimball,  Memphis,  Tennessee;  and  Mrs.  Louise 
Crespi  Felder,  also  of  Memphis. 


In  addition  to  the  out-of-town-or-state  handlers, 
practically  all  of  the  retriever  owners  and  han- 
dlers in  South  Louisiana  were  entered  in  the 
Licensed  trial. 

Among  the  judges  for  the  field  trial  were  Wil- 
liam J.  Salmonsen,  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  a  past 
judge  of  the  National  Retriever  Championship 
field  trial;  Charles  R.  York,  Pensacola,  Florida, 
a  judge  in  the  South  Hampton  Labrador  Re- 
triever Trial  in  New  York,  considered  to  be  one 
of  the  most  important  field  trials  in  the  country. 

Other  judges  included  Earl  Barham,  prominent 
Louisiana  sportsman  and  conservationist;  Joseph 
V.  Ferguson,  II,  president  of  the  South  Louisi- 
ana Retriever  Club;  and  Al  Bjorkgren,  Metairie, 
La. 

Salmonsen  judged  both  the  Open- All- Age  and 
the  Amateur-All-Age  stakes.  York  served  as  a 
judge  in  the  Open-All-Age  and  the  Qualifying 
stakes.  Barham  and  Salmonsen  served  as  judges 
in  the  Amateur  stake.  York  and  Ferguson  judged 
the  Qualifying  stake;  Bjorkgren  and  Barham 
judged  the  Derby  stake. 

Live  pheasants  were  used  in  all  the  land  series 
in  each  of  the  four  stakes.  Live  mallards  were 
used  for  the  water  series. 

For  those  not  too  familiar  with  retriever  field 
trials,  the  Open-All-Age  and  Amateur-All-Age 
stakes  are  for  dogs  that  are  in  a  more  advanced 
stage  of  training.  It  is  in  those  two  stakes  that 
championship  points  are  awarded  which  count 
toward  a  Field  Trial  or  Amateur  Field  Trial 
Championship.  They  are  also  the  stakes  in  which 
a  dog  may  qualify  for  the  National  or  National 
Amateur  stakes  which  are  held  once  each  year. 

The  Qualifying  stake  is  for  dogs  that  are  out 
of  the  Derby  stake  and  not  yet  ready  for  the 
Open  or  Amateur  stakes.  The  Derby  stake  is  for 


July-August,  1965 


17 


McFadden  Duffy 

Adding  greatly  to  the  success  of  the  first  Licensed 
retriever  trial  sponsored  by  the  South  Louisiana  Re- 
triever Club  was  the  complete  communications  sys- 
tem set  up  by  personnel  of  the  Louisiana  Wild  Life 
and  Fisheries  Commission.  Louie  Richardson,  left, 
and  Wendell  Lorio,  staff  members  of  the  Fish  and 
Game  Division,  report  by  two-way  radio  from  one 
area  of  the  spillway  to  another  area  where  water 
events  are  being  staged.  This  section  of  the  spillway 
under  the  train  trestles  was  the  site  of  land  trials. 

those  dogs  that  are  not  yet  two  years  old. 

Winner  of  the  Open-All-Age  stake  was  Sand 
Gold  Kim,  owned  by  Jerome  D.  Bernstein  of 
Chicago,  111.,  and  handled  by  Thomas  L.  Soren- 
son.  Second  place  went  to  Black  Jack  of  Audlon, 
owned  by  Mrs.  Henry  G.  Keeler,  Jr.,  of  St.  Louis, 
Missouri,  and  handled  by  Sorenson.  Third  place 
went  to  King  High  Siam,  owned  by  S.  G.  B.  Ten- 
nant  of  Houston,  Texas,  who  handled  his  own  re- 
triever. Fourth  place  in  this  stake  was  won  by 
Electricity  of  Audlon,  owned  by  Louise  Crespi 
Felder  of  Memphis,  Tennessee,  who  also  handled 
her  own  dog. 

In  the  Derby  stake,  the  winning  retriever  was 
Petite  Bijou,  owned  and  handled  by  Johnie  R. 
Cheney,    Groves,    Texas.    Placing   second   in   the 


stake  was  Gueydan  of  Beaumark,  owned  by  Mrs. 
Henry  LeBlanc,  Jr.,  Port  Arthur,  Texas  and  han- 
dled by  Edward  A.  LeBlanc.  Third  place  in  the 
field  trial  went  to  Medlin's  Texas  Corker,  owned 
by  Wells  Stewart,  Houston,  Texas,  and  handled 
by  Floyd  Hayes.  Fourth  place  winner  was  Rebel 
Yell,  owned  and  handled  by  Dr.  Robert  D.  Wood, 
Monroe,  La. 

In  the  Qualifying  stake,  first  place  was  won  by 
Beaumark  Jamie  Boy,  owned  and  handled  by 
Hugh  Mclnnis,  Jr.,  of  Jackson,  Miss.  Second  place 
was  King  of  Neches,  owned  by  Joe  L.  Speed, 
Jackson,  Miss.,  and  handled  by  Ford  Graham. 
Winner  of  third  place  in  the  stake  was  Dee  Lite's 
Mr.  Bones,  owned  by  Rebecca  and  Charles  R. 
Sherman  of  Memphis,  Tenn.,  and  handled  by  Ford 
Graham.  Fourth  place  was  taken  by  Sprucelane's 
Cree  Chief,  owned  and  handled  by  Joseph  C. 
Louvier  of  New  Orleans. 

In  the  Amateur  stake,  Kim  O'Sage,  owned  and 
handled  by  Michael  R.  Flannery,  of  Toledo,  Ohio, 
took  first  place.  Second  place  winner  was  King 
High  Siam,  owned  and  handled  by  S.  G.  B.  Ten- 
nant,  Houston,  Texas.  Third  place  was  Fisher- 
man Bill  of  Delaware,  owned  by  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Mahlon  B.  Wallace,  Jr.,  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and 
handled  by  Wallace.  Fourth  place  went  to  Thun- 
der of  Audlon,  also  owned  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mahlon 
B.  Wallace,  Jr.,  and  handled  by  Mrs.  Wallace. 

Silver  trophies  went  to  the  first  four  dogs  in 
each  stake  and  A.K.C.  rosettes  were  awarded  to 
all  dogs  placing  in  each  stake. 

Personnel  of  the  Louisiana  Wild  Life  and  Fish- 
eries Commission  were  assigned  to  assist  the 
South  Louisiana  Retriever  Club  in  staging  the 
first  Licensed  trial  staged  by  the  club.  Those  who 
assisted  with  two-way  radio  cars  and  Walki- 
Talki  radios  were  Bob  Beter,  supervisor  of  Com- 
mission District  VIII,  Louie  Richardson.  Wendell 
Lorio,  Harry  Gates  and  McFadden  Duffy. 

This  assistance  on  the  part  of  the  Commission 


HcFadden  Duffy 


This  is  one  of  the  water 
events.  Here  a  retriever 
returns  with  a  downed 
mallard,  having  recovered 
it  for  the  handler  on  com- 
mand. In  the  extreme  right, 
partly  shielded  by  willow 
trees,  the  judges  carefully 
watch  the  performance  of 
the  retriever  and  make 
notes  on  their  record  books. 


18 


Louisiana   Conservationist 


McFadden  Duffy 

Another  Louisiana  Wild  Life  and  Fisheries  Commis- 
sion staff  member,  Harry  Gates,  is  shown  relaying 
instructions  for  movement  of  automobiles,  retriever 
trailers  and  the  gallery  from  one  location  near  water 
to  another  spot  for  land  trials. 


Louisiana  State  Police  Trooper  C.  A.  Reggio,  Troop 
B,  who  was  assigned  to  the  three-day  South  Lou- 
isiana Retriever  Club  first  Licensed  field  trial,  is 
shown  explaining  to  Stuart  Duffy  how  the  trial 
judges  make  notes  on  the  performance  of  each  re- 
triever in  efforts  to  pick  first,  second,  third  and 
fourth  place  dogs  in  each  stake.  In  addition  to  di- 
recting traffic  in  the  Bonnet  Carre  Spillway,  he  also 
"located  a  number  of  lost  parents  for  their  children." 


McFadden  Duffy 

Louise  Crespi  Felder,  Memphis,  Tenn.,  owner  and 
handler  of  Electricity  Of  Audlon,  watches  her  dog  as 
it  returns  to  the  judges'  area  with  a  mallard  duck 
which  it  has  retrieved. 


represented  action  on  a  resolution  passed  about 
two  months  ago  to  broaden  the  scope  of  Commis- 
sion activities  to  include  working  with  field  trials, 
nature  study  groups  and  other  organizations  in- 
terested in  conservation  and  outdoor  recreation. 

Following  the  retriever  trial,  Director  J.  D. 
Hair,  Jr.,  received  a  letter  from  Joseph  V.  Fer- 
guson, II,  president  of  the  club,  which  read  in 
part: 

"The  writer  wishes  to  express  his  thanks  and 
appreciation,  as  well  as  the  thanks  and  apprecia- 
tion of  the  members  of  the  South  Louisiana  Re- 
triever Club,  for  the  assistance  which  you  made 
available  to  us  in  conducting  our  first  A.K.C. 
Licensed  trial  in  the  Bonnet  Carre  Spillwav,  May 
7-9. 

"The  personnel  whom  you  assigned  to  help  us 
at  this  trial  were  most  courteous,  cooperative  and 
efficient,  and  their  assistance  largely  contributed 
to  the  great  success  which  we  feel  was  achieved. 
We  received  many  compliments,  both  from  local 
and  out-of-town  people  on  the  manner  in  which 
the  trial  was  conducted,  and  your  personnel  pre- 
sented a  most  favorable  image,  not  only  of  them- 
selves, but  of  your  department.  You  should  feel 
justifiably  proud  that  you  have  such  efficient  and 
dedicated  men  in  your  department."  * 

Gov.  McKeithen  Registers 
For  G.I.    Tarpon  Rodeo 


Governor  John  J.  McKeithen,  center,  is  shown  with 
Joe  Lipsey,  left,  president  of  the  1965  Grand  Isle 
Tarpon  Rodeo,  and  J.  D.  Hair,  Jr.,  director  of  the 
Louisiana  Wild  Life  and  Fisheries  Commission, 
shown  wearing  the  Admiral  of  the  Fleet  cap  turned 
over  to  him  by  Governor  McKeithen.  Hair  will  serve 
as  Admiral  of  the  Fleet  this  year  just  as  Governor 
McKeithen  served  last  year.  Also  at  the  change  of 
command  ceremony  in  the  Governor's  office,  Lipsey 
presented  him  with  the  first  tarpon  rodeo  registra- 
tion and  Hair  presented  the  Governor  with  the  first 
1965-67  fishing  license. 


July-August,  1965 


19 


The  Three  R's 


Remarkable 


Resource 


LYLE  S.  ST.  AMANT 


Following  THREE  and  one-half  years  of  in- 
tensive research  on  shrimp  in  waters  along 
Louisiana's  meandering  coastline,  it  is  ap- 
propriate that  we  examine  the  value  of  this 
research  in  relation  to  the  state's  shrimp  in- 
dustry as  a  whole. 

Substantial  gains  in  our  knowledge  of  shrimp 
and  strong  evidence  that  the  research  information 
made  available  to  the  industry  on  a  continuous 
basis  is  of  immeasurable  value  in  managing  this 
important  marine  resource. 

Basically  the  research  program  involves  the 
comprehensive  study  of  that  part  of  the  annual 
shrimp  cycle  that  will  provide  information  most 
useful  to  the  industry.  Since  much  of  the  Lou- 
isiana shrimp  crop  is  harvested  on  the  inshore 
nursery  areas  and  since  the  success  of  this  phase 
of  the  shrimp  cycle  also  controls  offshore  fish- 
ing conditions,  our  studies  consist  of  a  quanti- 
tative examination  of  shrimp  conditions  and  popu- 
lation densities  from  the  time  that  the  postlarvae 
arrive  at  the  inshore  nursery  grounds  until  the 
juveniles  leave  the  area  for  offshore  waters. 
THE  BASIC  SHRIMP  CYCLE 

The  basic  life  cycle  of  both  the  brown  and 
white  shrimp  consist  of  an  offshore  and  an 
inshore  period  of  residence.  Adult  and  breeding 
shrimp  live  offshore;  egg  laying  takes  place  be- 
yond the  seven  fathom  line  and  centers  near  25 
fathoms  for  the  brown  species,  while  the  whites 
may  lay  in  somewhat  shallower  water.  The  eggs 
hatch  quickly  into  free  swimming  microscopic 
larvae  that  are  carried  inshoreward  by  water 
movements. 

By  the  time  of  their  arrival  at  the  passes  into 
the  inshore  nursery  area,  the  larval  shrimp  have 
grown  and  molted  several  times  and  have  reached 
the  postlarval  stage.  This  is  a  shrimp-like  larvae 
from  one  quarter  to  three-eighths  inches  in  length 
that  is  still  free  swimming  but  which  is  still 
largely  moved  by  tidal  and  current  action.  Upon 
entering  the  nursery  areas  and  if  water  tempera- 
ture is  70  degrees  F.  or  higher,  the  postlarvae 
quickly   grow   into   small   juvenile    shrimp   that 


A  shrimp  trawler  is  underway  soon  after  opening  of 
the  season  for  trawling  in  inside  waters. 

migrate  deep  into  the  nursery  grounds  and  be- 
come bottom  feeders.  The  length  of  their  stay 
on  the  nursery  grounds  varies  as  a  result  of 
growth  rate,  availability  of  food  and  water  tem- 
perature, but  usually  is  a  12  to  16  week  period 
during  which  the  shrimp  grows  from  a  one 
quarter  inch  larvae  to  a  four  and  one  half  to 
five  inch  sub-adult  shrimp  which  then  returns  to 
offshore  waters. 

After  moving  into  offshore  waters  there  is  no 
evidence  that  adult  shrimp  ever  return  to  the 
nursery  area.  Breeding  occurs  at  the  beginning  of 
the  next  season  to  complete  the  life  cycle.  A 
high  mortality  rate  and  short  life  span  precludes 
the  probability  that  breeding  occurs  more  than 
once  or  that  most  shrimp  survive  longer  than  one 
and  one-third  years. 

FACTORS  CONTROLLING  THE  CYCLE 

Although  the  basic  shrimp  cycle  has  been 
reasonably  well  established  by  various  research 
agencies,  the  timing  and  success  of  the  cycle 
varies  from  year  to  year  and  from  area  to  area 
depending  on  the  success  of  breeding  offshore 
and  the  survival  of  the  young  on  the  nursery 
grounds.  Environmental  factors  such  as  water 
temperature  and  salinity  appear  to  play  a  signifi- 
cant part  in  the  survival  and  successful  growth 
of  larval  shrimp  on  the  nursery  grounds  and, 
since  these  factors  fluctuate  from  year  to  year, 
it  becomes  necessary  to  study  the  cycle  in  relation 
to  the  environment  on  an  annual  basis.  Thus  our 


20 


Louisiana  Conservationist 


Gay   Batson 

Grand  Terre  Marine  Research  Laboratory,  main- 
tained by  the  Louisiana  Wild  Life  and  Fisheries  Com- 
mission, is  fully  functional  and  geared  for  advance 
shrimp,  oyster  and  other  marine  research. 


Each  year  prior  to  the  opening  of  the  season  for 
inside  trawling,  representatives  of  the  shrimp  in- 
dustry confer  with  Louisiana  Wild  Life  and  Fish- 
eries Commission  personnel  at  Grand  Terre,  where 
they  are  briefed  on  findings  of  the  Commission  and 
prospects  for  the  season  ahead. 


This  is  a  plankton  beam  trawl  used  in  sampling  for 
postlarvae.  The  net  is  dragged  for  a  standard  ten 
minute  interval  in  order  to  take  quantitative  samples. 


research  program  is  geared  to  determine  the  fol- 
lowing : 

1.  The  time  of  arrival  and  the  density  of  post- 
larval  shrimp  entering  the  nursery  area. 
These  data  give  an  initial  indication  of  the 
success  of  offshore  breeding  and  point,  with 
some  degree  of  reliability,  to  the  failure  or 
success  of  the  forthcoming  harvest. 

2.  The  comparative  water  temperatures  and 
salinity  patterns  on  the  nursery  grounds. 
This  information  indicates  whether  the 
shrimp  cycle  under  investigation  is  being 
subjected  to  colder  or  warmer  than  normal 
water  temperature  or  whether  the  water 
is  saltier  or  fresher  than  in  previous  years. 
Temperature  has  a  marked  effect  on  growth 
rates.  Below  70  degrees  F.  growth  is  slow 
or  non-existent  while  above  this  tempera- 
ture larval  shrimp  grow  extremely  rapidly, 
frequently  attaining  a  rate  of  from  one 
to  two  inches  per  month.  Medium  to  high 
salinities  appear  to  favor  the  growth  and 
survival  of  shrimp  on  the  nursery  grounds 
while  a  combination  of  low  salinities  and 
low  temperatures  may  result  in  serious  mor- 
talities. 

3.  The  distribution,  density  and  growth  rate 
of  the  juvenile  shrimp  are  studied  inten- 
sively during  the  eight  week  period  just 
prior  to  the  opening  of  the  season.  These 
data  furnish  important  information  upon 
which  to  set  the  opening  date  of  the  season, 
project  the  growth  rate  and  estimate  the 
size  of  shrimp  available  on  the  opening  day 
and  predict  the  success  of  the  harvest. 

4.  The  annual  cycle,  the  environmental  factors 
effecting  the  cycle  and  the  resultant  shrimp 
harvest  are  compared  from  year  to  year  in 
order  to  determine  which  combination  of 
factors  result  in  the  greatest  harvest  and 
furnish  information  upon  which  to  base 
predictions  of  future  harvests. 

THE  OUTLOOK  FOR  1965 
Shrimp  production  in  any  given  year  is  relative 
to  past  production  but  the  condition  of  the  in- 
dustry is  the  product  of  the  actual  pounds  pro- 
duced and  the  average  price  received  for  the  catch. 
Past  catch  records  indicate  that  the  nursery  areas 
and  near  offshore  waters  of  Louisiana  should 
produce  70  to  80  million  pounds  (heads  on)  of 
shrimp  annually  and  any  harvest  exceeding  60 
million  pounds  should  be  considered  successful. 
Prices  play  an  important  part,  however,  for 
example  in  1963  production  exceeded  80  million 
pounds  while  in  1964  it  declined  to  60  million, 
yet  the  economic  value  of  the  two  crops  were 
essentially  the  same  because  the  1964  price  was 
higher.  In  the  following  discussion  of  the  1965 
crop  only  potential  production  is  considered  since 
economic  studies  are  not  a  part  of  the  present 
research  program. 

BREEDING  SUCCESS  AND 

POSTLARVAL  DENSITIES. 

An    analysis    of    all    postlarval    density    data 

through    May    1,    1965    indicates    that    offshore 

breeding  was  excellent  and  exceeded   all  years 


July-August,  1965 


21 


except  1964.  The  average  density  of  postlarvae 
moving  into  the  nursery  areas  was  only  slightly 
less  than  1964  and  several  times  greater  than 
1963,  a  peak  production  year.  The  significance 
of  this  exceptionally  high  postlarval  population  is 
dependent  upon  the  resultant  survival  of  the  lar- 
vae and  juveniles  on  the  nursery  area.  Successful 
survival  appears  to  be  a  function  of  the  time  of 
the  arrival  of  the  postlarvae,  and  the  temperature 
and  salinity  to  which  they  are  subjected  during 
the  critical  early  growth  stages.  For  example,  in 
1963,  fewer  postlarvae  entered  the  nursery  area 
but  encountered  a  favorable  environment  of  high 
salinity  and  warmer  water.  Survival  was  excel- 
lent and  high  production  occurred. 

In  1964,  great  numbers  of  postlarvae  entered 
the  embayments  but  peak  movements  were  much 
earlier,  occurring  in  February.  The  larvae  were 
then  subjected  to  a  less  favorable  environment 
of  colder  water  and  lower  salinity  over  a  greater 
period  of  time.  This  resulted  in  an  extremely 
high  mortality  of  the  larvae  and  the  production 
of  fewer  juveniles  than  in  1963. 

In  1965,  dense  populations  of  postlarvae  moved 
into  the  nursery  area  reaching  a  peak  in  early 
March.  This  resulted  in  the  larvae  being  exposed 
to  colder  water  temperatures  over  a  longer  period 
of  time  than  desirable  but  salinities  were  higher 
resulting  in  better  survival  than  occurred  in  1964 
though  not  as  good  as  in  1963.  From  these  data 
it  would  appear  that  best  survival  occurs  when 
the  peak  postlarval  movement  occurs  in  late 
March,  April  or  early  May,  after  waters  are 
warmer  and  when  the  postlarvae  quickly  change 
into  juveniles  and  begin  rapid  growth.  High 
salinities  appear  to  greatly  aid  these  results.  On 
the  other  hand,  long  periods  of  exposure  to  low 
water  temperatures  and  low  salinities  while  in 
the  postlarval  stage  appear  to  result  in  high  mor- 
talities. 

JUVENILE  DISTRIBUTION, 
DENSITY  AND  GROWTH 

The  1965  juvenile  population  was  well  dis- 
tributed over  the  entire  nursery  area  from  the 
Mississippi  River  delta  to  the  Texas  line.  East  of 
the  river  brown  shrimp  were  scarce  or  absent 
but  this  area  historically  has  a  later  season.  Some 
lower  densities  also  occurred  in  the  Atchafalaya 
and  Vermilion  Bay  area  as  a  result  of  low  salin- 
ities. The  amount  of  shrimp  on  the  nursery  area 
was  greater  than  in  any  year  except  1963  and 
some  data  indicated  that  populations  might  ap- 
proach that  of  1963,  an  exceptional  year. 

Growth  rates  of  juveniles  in  1965,  were  disap- 
pointing. Early  growth  from  late  March  to  mid 
April  was  slower  than  that  recorded  in  any  pre- 
vious year.  This  was  apparently  a  result  of  low 
water  temperatures.  Subsequent  to  April  20th  and 
until  May  15th  growth  accelerated  as  expected 
and  the  average  size  of  the  shrimp,  though 
smaller  than  most  years,  reached  80  mm.,  a  size 
to  a  large  extent  marketable.  Nevertheless,  it 
would  have  been  better  management  if  the  season 
could   have   been   delayed   a   week   or   ten   days. 


M  Tullier 

All  shrimp  samples  taken  are  measured  and  the  data 
evaluated  in  order  to  determine  growth  rate. 


Al  Tullier 

This  is  a  small  mesh  six  foot  otter  trawl  used  in 
sampling  the  juvenile  shrimp  population. 

EARLY  PRODUCTION 

At  this  writing  the  brown  shrimp  harvest  has 
been  in  effect  for  12  days  during  which  some 
two  and  one-half  million  pounds  have  been  taken. 
This  is  less  than  last  year's  catch  for  the  same 
period  by  about  two  hundred  thousand  pounds. 
The  small  size  of  the  shrimp  in  the  early  produc- 
tion is  no  doubt  reducing  the  poundage.  It  is  hoped 
that  growth  and  production  will  be  maintained  to 
the  extent  that  a  significant  weight  recovery  will 
occur. 

THE  VALUE  OF  RESEARCH 
TO  THE  INDUSTRY 

Data  such  as  the  above  are  thoroughly  dis- 
cussed with  a  hundred  or  more  representatives 
of  the  industry  prior  to  the  setting  of  the  shrimp 
season  each  year.  Such  information  can  be  put 
to  use  in  the  following  manner. 

1.  All  segments  of  the  industry  have  an  op- 
portunity to  understand  and  agree  upon  the 
opening  date  of  the  season. 

2.  Furnishing    information    on    the    expected 


Louisiana  Conservationist 


A.I  Tullier 

A    typical    shrimp    postlarvae,    magnified    approxi- 
mately 13  times. 

average  size  of  the  shrimp  allows  the  proper 
segment  of  the  industry  (canneries, 
freezers,  etc.)  to  tool  up  for  expected  pro- 
duction. 

3.  Setting  the  season  at  a  time  when  market- 
able shrimp  are  available  prevents  several 
weeks  of  unsuccessful  fishing  because 
shrimp  are  too  small  or  absent.  This  saves 
the  industry  considerable  expense  in  boat 
operation  and  overhead. 

4.  Predictions  of  the  future  harvest,  though 
less  than  accurate,  still  affords  the  industry 
information  upon  which  to  gauge  its  prep- 
aration for  a  forthcoming  season. 

As  research  progresses  from  year  to  year  it  is 
expected  that  it  will  become  of  more  value  to  the 
industry.  Undoubtedly  predictions  will  become 
more  accurate  and  management  procedures  and 
laws  will  be  adjusted  to  afford  maximum  utiliza- 
tion of  the  harvest  in  any  given  season.  * 


Cooperation 

Julius  L.  Book,  Chief  of  the  Enforcement 
Division  of  the  Wild  Life  and  Fisheries  Com- 
mission, has  issued  words  of  praise  to  sport 
and  commercial  fishermen  for  their  obser- 
vance of  the  recent  closed  shrimp  season  in 
Louisiana's  inside  waters. 

"The  record  speaks  for  itself,"  Book  said. 

"During  the  1964  closed  season  21  cases 
were  made  against  violators  for  shrimping 
in  inside  waters.  This  last  closed  season 
shows  only  seven  cases  made — or  a  drop  of 
two  thirds  in  such  violations. 

"Of  course  our  law  enforcement  agents 
were  on  the  alert  with  improved  equipment- 
boats,  radio  communication  and  planes. 
Nevertheless  we  are  inclined  to  attribute  part 
of  the  drop  in  violations  to  a  better  under- 
standing of  resource  management.  There- 
fore, our  congratulations  to  commercial 
shrimp  fishermen,  sport  fishermen  who  en- 
joy trawling  for  bait  and  their  deep  freezers 
and  last,  but  not  least,  let  us  commend  the 
bait  suppliers  who  have  cooperated." 


Wildlife  Shorts 


It  has  been  estimated  that  the  State  of  Lou- 
isiana has  two  million  acres  of  inland  waters.  If 
the  entire  population  of  the  state  went  fishing 
today,  you  would  have  a  whole  acre  to  yourself 
to  fish  in  not  counting  the  waters  of  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico. 


Fishing  at  the  oil  rigs  out  in  the  Gulf  on  the 
Continental  Shelf,  originated  in  Louisiana  just 
a  few  years  ago  and  is  immensely  popular  today. 
A  large  number  of  charter  boats  specialize  in 
taking  parties  out  to  the  rigs,  and  families  fre- 
quently take  advantage  of  the  services  available, 
chiefly  out  of  Cameron,  Grand  Isle  and  Empire. 


Motorboating,  with  its  concomitant  sports, 
water  skiing,  swimming,  skin  diving  and  fishing 
are  second  nature  to  thousands  of  Louisianians 
with  their  two  million  acres  of  protected  waters. 


Cook-outs  are  constantly  increasing  in  popular- 
ity. Perhaps  the  most  unique  are  the  garfish 
cook-outs  held  in  the  Little  River  area  not  far 
from  Pollock,  in  central  Louisiana.  Giant  gars 
are  usually  entered  in  contests,  but  large  or  small, 
the  hides  are  removed  and  the  meat  cooked  to  the 
proper  turn  on  a  spit  over  a  hot  hickory  log  fire. 


Clambakes  are  not  novel  to  Louisiana.  Cen- 
turies ago  the  Aboriginies  living  along  our  bayous 
and  bays  roasted  clams  in  vast  quantities,  leaving 
smelly  refuse  heaps  which  remain  to  this  day 
(the  shells  not  the  smells)  as  mute  testimony  to 
the  great  family-style  cook-outs  of  the  American 
Indian. 


Strictly  unique  to  Louisiana  since  early  times 
and  peculiarly  associated  with  the  advent  of 
spring,  are  the  crawfishing  forays  in  the  shaded 
waters  of  our  lovely  cypress  swamps.  The  Creole 
crawfish  net,  a  miniature  version  of  a  Chinese 
lift  net,  although  of  ancient  origin,  is  still  ef- 
ficient by  modern  standards  and  the  popular  net ; 
for  shallow  waters. 

The  delicately  flavored  river  shrimp  has  been 
a  Louisiana  favorite  since  colonial  times.  It  is 
taken  in  larger  rivers,  particularly  the  Missis- 
sippi. 


Where  marine  grasses  grow  on  firm  bottoms 
in  Louisiana,  both  hard  and  soft  crabs  are  taken 
with  push  nets  and  small  seines.  Sizeable  quan- 
tities of  shrimp  are  taken  in  these  little  seines 
in  the  late  summer  months  and  these  wading 
parties  are  great  fun  for  the  entire  family. 

Castnetting  for  sea  shrimp  in  summer  months 
is  a  very  popular  diversion  amongst  family  groups 
along  the  shores  of  Louisiana  coastal  lakes,  es- 
tuaries and  bayous.  In  New  Orleans  alone,  hun- 
dreds of  shrimping  parties  can  be  seen  almost 
every  summer  night  along  the  seawall  of  that  city. 


July-August,  1965 


23 


BOATRAMPS 


—Key  To   Water  Access 


KENNETH   C.  SMITH 


The  beauty  of  the  lakes,  streams,  and  bayous 
of  Louisiana  is  a  feature  with  which  most 
of  our  citizens  are  familiar  and  our  visitors 
soon  become  acquainted.  Something  is  missing, 
though,  that  denies  a  more  complete  appreciation 
of  this  most  attractive  asset  in  our  world  famous 
bayou  wonderland.  This  lacking  ingredient  is 
public  access. 

The  Louisiana  Wild  Life  and  Fisheries  Com- 
mission was  aware  of  this  need  when  in  October, 
1962,  notification  from  the  United  States  Depart- 
ment of  Commerce  was  passed  down  through  the 
regional  Fish  and  Wildlife  Service  Office  in 
Atlanta,  that  money  was  available  to  Louisiana 
for  wildlife  and  fisheries  development  if  the  state 
could  supply  matching  funds  on  a  50-50  basis. 
These  matching  funds  were  made  available,  as 
were  later  amounts  each  time  the  Commission 
was  notified  there  were  additional  federal  funds. 

This  Accelerated  Public  Works  program  was 
initiated  for  the  primary  purpose  of  furnishing 
employment  in  parishes  designated  as  economical- 
ly distressed  areas.  There  were  thirty-one  of  our 
sixty-four  parishes  declared  as  such  and  conse- 
quently eligible  for  APW  assistance. 

In  selecting  those  projects  which  would  bene- 
fit the  most  people  and  at  the  same  time  fill  a 
long  standing  need  the  Commission  quickly  real- 
ized the  construction  of  boat  launching  facilities 
would  offer  the  best  potential. 

A  previous  article  in  the  Louisiana  Conser- 
vationist has  dealt  in  detail  with  the  early 
history  of  this  program  and  it  is  the  intentions  of 
the  writer  that  duplication  in  reporting  be  held  to 
a  minimum.  The  foregoing  is  presented  as  a  short 
review  for  the  benefit  of  those  not  familiar  with 
the  earlier  report. 

To  date  a  total  of  thirty-six  of  these  ramps, 
each  with  an  adjacent  parking  area  and  many 
with  loading  piers,  has  been  completed,  four 
are  under  construction  and  seven  are  approved 
for  construction. 

In  addition  to  the  13  ramps  reported  as  com- 
pleted in  the  1964  article  mentioned  above,  the 
following  have  been  finished  since  that  time : 
Nantachie  Lake,  Grant  Parish;  ramp  is  located 


One  of  the  recently  completed  ramps  is  on  beautiful 
Lake  St.  Martin  in  St.  Martin  Parish.  This  is  a  con- 
crete ramp. 


This  concrete  constructed  boat  ramp  is  on  Old  River 
at  Mansura  in  Avoyelles  Parish. 


24 


Louisiana   Conservationist 


just   off  highway   at  the   intersection   of   the 

old  Nantachie  Creek  channel. 
Lower  Anacoco,  Vernon  Parish. 
Lake  Dauterive,  St.  Martin  Parish. 
Black  Lake,  Natchitoches  Parish;  near  Campti. 
Half-Moon  Lake,  St.  Landry  Parish;  just  south 

of  the  old  T  &  P  Railroad  bridge. 
Atchafalaya  River,  St.  Martin  Parish;  Butte  La- 
Rose. 
Bayou   Benoit,   St.   Martin   Parish;   adjacent   to 

West  Atchafalaya  Basin  Protection  levee. 
Chene  Blanc  Canal,  Livingston  Parish;  Chinqua- 
pin Inn. 
Big  Creek,  Avoyelles  Parish  at  North  Point;  on 

La.  Hwy.  115  at  Bridge    crossing    over    Big 

Creek  between   Halloway   and   Effie. 
Cheniere  Lake,   Ouachita   Parish;   1.   located  on 

eastern  most  point  of  the  lake  and  north  of 

La.   Hwy.  3033;  4.  North  of  La.   Hwy.   3033 

about  middle  of  lake. 
Bayou  Falcon,   Catahoula  Parish;   Sicily  Island. 
Black  River,   Catahoula   Parish;   Jonesville. 
Old  River,  Avoyelles  Parish;  Mansura. 
Tensas  River,  Franklin  Parish;  Cooter  Point. 
Lake  Verret,  Assumption  Parish ;  Located  about 

4-1/2  mi.  southeast  of  the  village  of  Pierre  Part 

along  west  bank  of  Lake  Verrett. 
Little  River,  Grant  Parish;   North  and  east  of 

La.  Hwy.  454  from  Effie  to  Fishville. 
Ouachita  River,  Union  Parish. 
Lake    Arthur,    Jefferson    Davis    Parish;    Lake 

Arthur  Canal  at  Third   Street  Between   Iowa 

and  New  Orleans  Streets. 
Lake   D'Arbonne,   Lincoln   Parish;   Unionville. 
Lake  D'Arbonne,  Union  Parish;   North  End  of 

Dam. 
Lake   D'Arbonne,  Union  Parish;   South  End  of 

Dam. 
Lake  D'Arbonne,  Union  Parish;  Bayou  Corney. 
Lake  Martin,  St.  Martin  Parish. 

The  following  ramps  are  under  construction: 
Rosethorn,  Jefferson  Parish. 
Mississippi   River   at   Donaldsonville,    Ascension 

Parish. 
Saline  Bayou,  Catahoula  Parish. 

These  ramps  have  been  approved  for  construc- 
tion: 

Clear  Lake,  Natchitoches  Parish;   Sandy  Point. 
Pearl  River,   Washington   Parish;   Angie. 
Pearl  River,  Washington  Parish;  Bogalusa. 
Bogue  Chitto,  Washington  Parish;  Franklinton. 
Calcasieu  Lake,  Cameron  Parish. 
Fort  Pike,  Orleans  Parish. 

As  of  March  1,  1965,  the  APW  program  was 
officially  ended.  No  new  projects  will  be  consid- 
ered by  the  Atlanta  office ;  however,  all  jobs  which 
were  under  way  and  those  which  had  been  ap- 
proved prior  to  that  date  will  be  completed. 

Hurricane  damages  and  unusually  high  water 
has  caused  damage  to  some  of  these  boat  ramps, 
costing  large  sums  to  repair.  The  Commission 
has  assumed  maintenance  responsibility  on  these 
facilities  and  will  continue  to  keep  them  in  oper- 
ation. In  almost  every  case  the  Louisiana  Depart- 
ment of   Public  Works   has   provided  technical 


Bob  Dennie 


These  boats  are  pulled  alongside  the  popular  ramp  on 
Bayou  Benoit,  located  adjacent  to  the  West  Atcha- 
falaya basin  protection  levee  in  St.  Martin  Parish. 


assistance  in  preparing  plans  and  specifications, 
advertising  for  bids,  and  supervising  the  work. 
Without  these  people  our  boat  ramp  program 
would  likely  have  not  gotten  off  the  ground. 

The  Louisiana  Wild  Life  and  Fisheries  Com- 
mission has  every  desire  to  see  the  boat  ramp 
program  continued,  not  only  in  a  few  parishes 
but  in  each  one  where  there  is  a  potential  for 
furnishing  more  and  better  recreation  through 
improved  access  to  public  fishing  and  boating 
waters. 

If  sufficient  funds  are  available  in  the  coming 
budget  this  organization  will  consider  as  many 
requests  as  possible  that  have  come  in  after  the 
beginning  of  the  program  but  which  asked  for 
launching  facilities  in  unqualified  parishes.  We 
are  continuing  to  receive  letters  of  this  nature 
regularly. 

The  Commission  would  like  to  recognize  in- 
dividually each  police  jury,  sportsmen's  league  and 
civic  minded  individual  that  has  helped  make 
this  program  the  success  it  is.  Space  is  limited, 
however,  to  these  few  words  of  sincere  appreci- 
ation extended  to  all  groups  and  individuals  which 
have  contributed.  * 


Wildlife  Shorts 


The  mallard  duck,  so  commonly  seen  in  Lou- 
isiana is  the  first  of  the  family  known  as  "dab- 
bling ducks."  This  species  is  in  the  group  called 
"pond"  or  "river  ducks",  since  ordinarily  they 
inhabit  shallow  lakes,  ponds  and  sloughs  where 
they  can  get  their  food  by  tipping  and  dabbling, 
rather  than  by  diving. 


The  black  duck  visits  Louisiana  in  winters  in 
moderate  numbers,  but  its  main  wintering 
grounds  are  to  the  east  of  us.  It  arrives  early 
in  October  and  remains  moderately  common  until 
the  end  of  March. 


July-August,  1965 


25 


y 


The 
DOLPHIN 


RANDALL   K.   PIERCE 


What  is  a  dolphin? 
The  dolphin  and  porpoise  belong  to  a 
group  of  animals  known  as  cetaceans, 
which  include  the  whales.  They  constitute  the 
largest  and  most  important  group  of  mammals 
that  has  turned,  or  returned,  (there  are  schools 
of  thought  on  both)  to  an  aquatic  life  and  that 
best  adapted  to  an  existence  in  the  water.  They 
have  become  so  completely  divorced  from  their 
former  land  life  that  they  are  helpless  if  stranded 
on  a  beach.  Only  in  their  need  to  breathe  air 
do  they  show  any  marked  reminiscence  to  their 
previous  terrestial  existence. 

Porpoise  and  dolphin  brains  appear  to  be  of  an 
advance  type.  Psychological  study  of  cetaceans  is 
difficult,  but  there  is  evidence  that  the  dolphin, 
at  least,  rates  very  high  among  non-human  mam- 
mals in  mental  ability. 

The  term  "porpoise"  is  generally  applied  to 
the  smaller  members  of  the  family  which  are 
short-snouted.  The  Atlantic  porpoise  never  ex- 
ceeds six  feet  in  length  and  there  are  a  number 
of  other  species  of  similar  size.  The  term 
"dolphin"  (not  to  be  confused  with  the  dolphin 
or  dorado  which  is  a  true  fish)  properly  belongs 
to  the  larger  forms,  with  pronounced  noses,  Along 
the  Atlantic  and  Gulf  coasts  of  North  America, 
the  animal  called  a  "porpoise"  is  actually  the 
common  bottle-nosed  dolphin,  a  larger  animal 
(up  to  twelve  feet  in  length.)  The  dolphin  of  the 
ancients  is  a  type  with  worldwide  distribution, 
but  is  especially  abundant  in  the  Mediterranean. 
Its  length  averages  eight  feet  or  so  as  an  adult 
and  it  has  a  pronounced  nose  or  beak.  Included 
in  the  dolphin  family  are  the  "white  whale"  or 
beluga,  the  black  fish  or  pilot  whale,  and  the 
white  spotted  terror — the  killer  whale.  These 
members  are  referred  to  as  whales,  but  are  not 
true  whales. 


at   Wild  Life  &  Fisheries  Commission's  laboratory  at 


Bob  Dennie 


Highly  intelligent,  the  porpoise  and  its  larger  cous- 
in the  dolphin,  are  remarkably  intelligent,  fond  of 
humans,  incurable  show-offs  and  popularly  con- 
sidered playful  princes  of  the  deep.  The  Naval 
Electronics  Laboratory  has  been  carrying  out  exten- 
sive studies  in  efforts  to  place  a  coating  similar 
to  dolphin  skin  on  submarines  to  reduce  friction 
and  increase  speed.  Experiments  are  also  being  con- 
ducted with  the  possibility  that  they  can  be  trained 
as  underwater  scouts  to  serve  as  guides  through 
mine  fields. 


In  the  past  several  years  the  popularity  of  the 
porpoise  or  dolphin  as  a  study  object  or  plaything 
has  been  greatly  intensified.  Through  the  media 
of  popular  magazines  and  televised  programs, 
facts  about  these  curious  animals  are  being  pub- 
licized. The  possession  of  a  dolphin  in  the  swim- 
ming pool  has  become  a  status  symbol  to  those 
who  can  afford  to  buy  and  maintain  them. 
Accordingly,  a  lucrative  market  for  the  dolphin 
hunter  and  trainer  has  developed. 

The  dolphin  has  long  been  the  subject  of  in- 
tensive study  by  many  fields  of  science.  The 
Naval  Electronics  Laboratory  has  been  carrying 
out  extensive  studies  on  the  sounds  produced  by 
the  dolphin.  It  is  thought  that  the  animal  pos- 
sesses a  vocabulary  of  some  60  or  more  sounds. 
Researchers  are  studying  their  physiology  and 
means  of  locomotion.  Experiments  have  been 
carried  out  by  placing  a  coating  like  the  dolphin 
skin  on  submarines  to  reduce  friction  and  in- 
crease underwater  speed.  There  have  even  been 
suggestions  that  dolphins  be  trained  as  under- 
water military  scouts,  so  that  they  would  report 
to  the  surface  sightings  of  objects  or  men.  They 
also  might  be  used  as  underwater  guides  through 
mine  fields  or  other  dangerous  areas. 

Recently  the  Bureau  of  Commercial  Fisheries 
of  the  United  States  Fish  and  Wildlife  Service 

Louisiana  Conservationist 


published  the  following  about  the  porpoise  and 
dolphin. 

"The  porpoise  and  his  larger  cousin  the  dol- 
phin, are  often  thought  of  as  man's  best  friend 
in  the  sea.  Fond  of  humans,  remarkably  intel- 
ligent, incurable  show-offs,  both  of  these 
mammals  are  popularly  painted  as  playful 
princes  of  the  deep.  This  view  is  not  shared  by 
the  fishermen  of  the  Mediterranean.  From 
Barcelona  to  Beirut,  from  Trieste  to  Tripoli,  por- 
poise and  dolphin  alike  are  detested  as  pests, 
robbers  and  natural  enemies  of  all  who  make 
their  living  from  the  sea." 

A  study  of  the  General  Fisheries  Council  of 
the  Mediterranean  (GFCM)  written  by  C.  Ravel 
of  France  and  published  recently  through  the 
Food  and  Agriculture  Organization,  give  the 
reasons  for  the  fishermen's  hostility. 

Porpoise  and  dolphin  annually  destroy  or 
seriously  damage  thousands  upon  thousands  of 
fishing  nets — not  only  nets  used  near  shore,  but 
trawls  working  over  the  continental  shelf  at 
depths  up  to  70  fathoms.  Year  after  year  these 
animals  chase  away  schools  of  tuna  the  fishermen 
have  sometime  tracked  for  days.  Porpoise  and 
dolphins  feed  on  diminishing  stocks  of  sardine, 
anchovy,  sole  and  other  fish  that  make  up  the 
bulk  of  the  Mediterranean  catch. 

Italian  fishermen  report  that  porpoise  alone 
cost  them  about  $500,000  a  year  in  destroyed  or 
damages  nets.  The  French  estimate  damage  to 


gear  at  $400  per  boat  for  the  Mediterranean  fish- 
ing fleet.  The  Spaniards  say  the  porpoise  damage 
or  destroy  up  to  20,000  items  of  gear  a  year. 
Dolphin  are  a  major  threat  to  the  prize  bluefin 
tuna  fisheries  off  Morocco's  north  coast.  Yugo- 
slavia, with  an  average  of  3,000  nets  ruined  and 
6,000  damages,  reckons  its  yearly  losses  due  to 
those  animals  is  about  $270,000. 

What  is  doubly  galling  to  the  fishermen  is 
that  the  porpoise  and  dolphin  have  public  sym- 
pathy on  their  side.  Any  Mediterranean-wide 
campaign  against  them  would  probably  set  off 
a  chain  of  protests.  Admiration  for  the  porpoise 
and  dolphin  goes  back  to  ancient  times.  Greeks 
and  Romans  saw  them  as  a  noble,  even  divine 
creature.  Homer  called  the  dolphin  "King  of 
Fishes  and  Lord  of  the  Sea".  He  also  said  that 
to  hunt  a  dolphin  was  sinful  and  displeasing  to 
the  Gods.  Pliny  cited  the  dolphin  as  a  saviour 
of  drowning  men  and  a  fierce  fighter  of  croco- 
diles in  the  Nile. 

Despite  the  porpoise-dolphin's  established 
public  image,  the  fishermen  do  what  they  can  in 
their  own  defense.  They  use  a  variety  of  attacks. 

Porpoise  and  dolphin  are  shot  with  rifles — 
without  much  real  effect  on  their  numbers. 
Underwater  detonations  and  grenades  scare 
them  away,  but  seldom  kill  them.  Poisons  are 
poured  in  the  sea  where  they  are  thought  to 
c  o  1 1  e  c  t — usually  without  impressive  results. 
Ultrasonic   wave    emitters   frighten   them   away 


The  porpoise  is  credited 
with  having  a  vocabulary 
of  60  or  more  sounds.  Be- 
cause of  its  high  intelli- 
gence, one  of  these  is  cer- 
tain to  be  "chow  call". 
Trained  porpoises  answer 
that  one  ready  and  willing 
to  perform  for  their  sup- 
per. 


July-August,  1965 


27 


from  the  fishing  boats — temporarily.  Once  the 
echo  sounders  are  turned  off,  the  "divine  crea- 
tures" come  swarming  back.  Other  devices  are 
tried — with  indifferent  success. 

The  GFMC  study  offers  one  solution :  eat  them. 
Ravel's  study  says  that  "porpoise  hunting  might 
perhaps  be  intensified  if  porpoise  meat  could  be 
marketed  in  an   ordinary  way." 

He  points  out  that  although  little  porpoise  meat 
is  eaten  in  his  country  (its  bright  red  color  is 
considered  shocking) ,  there  is  no  reason  why  the 
meat  could  not  achieve  popularity. 

"It  tastes  very  good,  rather  like  venison.  Cer- 
tain cuts — fillets,  tongue,  brains,  liver  and  kid- 
ney— are  special  delicacies.  In  other  countries, 
such  as  Italy  and  England,  porpoise  meat  is 
highly  esteemed  and  eaten  quite  normally". 

"In  Canada",  the  study  continues,  "canned 
dolphin  meat  is  an  enormous  success,  so  that  its 
poor  reputation  elsewhere  is  quite  undeserved 
and  ought  to  be  changed.  Porpoise  meat  should 
find  the  place  it  used  to  enjoy  on  the  market  and 
this  would  be  the  best  way  of  keeping  down  the 
numbers  of  those  animals." 

A  good  way  of  combatting  the  Tursiops  species 
of  dolphin,  (bottle  nosed,  etc.)  Ravel  recom- 
mends, is  to  "harpoon  them  on  sight".  Thus  Medi- 
terranean fishing  boats,  especially  those  engaged 
in  tuna  and  sardine  fishing,  would  do  well  to 
keep  harpoons  aboard  "so  as  to  deal  with  the 
Tursiops  when  they  start  prowling  around  the 
boat." 

In  Turkey  the  animals  are  specifically  hunted 
with  high  powered  rifles  from  high  speed  boats. 
The  meat  is  desirable  to  the  Turks  and  is  mar- 
keted. 

Ravel's  final  recommendation  is  the  use  of 
underwater  acoustic  signals.  As  porpoise  and 
dolphin  are  known  to  communicate  with  one  an- 
other by  such  signals,  he  thinks  that  it  may  soon 
be  possible  to  keep  then  at  bay  by  transmitting 
their  alarm  or  distress  signals. 

"In  other  circumstances,"  his  study  concludes, 
"different  signals  may  be  used  to  attract  those 
creatures  to  specific  points,  so  that  they  might 
be  caught  and  killed  by  appropriate  means." 

Many  of  the  troubles  of  the  Mediterranean 
fishermen,  concerning  dolphin,  are  experienced 
by  our  Louisiana  fishermen.  Dolphin  are  known 
to  tear  into  shrimp  trawls  to  get  at  fish  and 
shrimp  caught  inside.  This  action  results  in  loss 
of  part  or  all  of  the  catch  and  costly,  time  con- 
suming repairs. 

This  article  is  not  meant  to  be  anti-dolphin : 
so  "Flipper"  fans,  "At  Ease!"  Several  methods 
mentioned  in  the  study  are  highly  argumentative 
and  could  be  more  detrimental  than  beneficial 
i.e.,  pouring  poison  into  the  water.  However,  it 
was  felt  that  both  sides  of  the  story  of  these 
unique  animals  should  be  presented  giving  some 
international  attitudes  about  it. 

Friend  or  foe — what  about  the  dolphin?  * 


Wildlife  Shorts 


Many  people  in  Louisiana  depend  upon  the  pro- 
ductivity of  our  waters  for  their  livelihood.  Fish- 
ermen, fish  dealers,  tackle  manufacturers,  sales- 
men and  others  are  directly  concerned  with  fish- 
ing commercially.  Other  groups  of  people  and 
firms  reap  secondary  benefits.  Aside  from  mon- 
etary benefits,  commercial  fishing  is  important 
to  the  state  for  its  effect  upon  the  sports  fishery. 
The  fisherman,  by  removing  commercial  fish 
from  the  body  of  water,  helps  game  fish  popula- 
tion. 

Commercial  fishermen  in  Louisiana  fall  into 
two  classes :  those  who  devote  their  full  time  and 
attention  to  it  and  those  who  fish  in  their  spare 
time  to  supplement  their  income.  Many  farmers 
and  seasonal  workers  concentrate  on  fishing  dur- 
ing the  months  when  their  normal  occupation  is 
slowed  or  inactive.  A  large  portion  of  the  part- 
time  fishermen  have  regular  salaried  jobs  and 
restrict  their  fishing  to  evenings  or  weekends. 


The  full-time  Louisiana  fisherman  is  a  busi- 
ness man,  naturalist,  netmaker,  and  jack-of-all 
trades.  He  must  be  skilled  in  the  use  of  equipment 
and  have  full  knowledge  of  the  fish  he  catches. 


Until  the  advent  of  nylon  twine,  the  Louisiana 
fisherman's  net  would  often  be  worn  out,  need 
repairs,  and  often  be  discarded  in  less  than  a 
year.  The  use  of  nylon  has  extended  the  life  ex- 
pectancy of  nets,  but  it  is  costly.  Cotton  and  linen 
nets  are  still  used  extensively  in  many  parts  of 
the  state.  They  require  more  care  and  attention 
than  nylon  but  the  initial  cost  is  less. 

The  trotline  is  one  of  the  Louisiana  fresh  wa- 
ter fisherman's  favorite  means  of  taking  catfish. 
It  is  composed  of  a  long,  stout,  line  to  which 
a  number  of  shorter  lines  are  attached  at  regular 
intervals.  A  hook  is  attached  to  each  of  the  short 
lines.  The  hooks  are  baited  with  anything  from 
soap  to  live  minnows.  Each  fisherman  knows 
which  hook  size  and  what  bait  is  preferred  in  a 
given  area. 


Catfish,  buffalo,  silver  carp,  gar,  German  carp, 
gaspergou  and  paddlefish,  or  spoonbill,  are  the 
primary  commercial  freshwater  fish  sold  in  Lou- 
isiana. Some  of  these  fish  are  valued  more  highly 
than  others  but  all  have  a  market. 


Many  Louisiana  fresh  water  fishermen  add  to 
their  incomes  by  catching  frogs,  turtles,  craw- 
fish and  river  shrimp.  Probably  more  effort  is 
expended  in  the  pursuit  of  catfish  than  any  other 
group.  The  consumers  regard  catfish  as  a  choice 
repast,  therefore,  the  price  per  pound  is  more 
than  that  paid  for  buffalo  and  the  others. 


Mallard  ducks  begin  to  migrate  in  late  August 
but  the  main  migration  flights  usually  begin  in 
late  September. 


Butterflies  fly  during  the  daylight  hours  while 
moths  prefer  to  fly  after  the  sun  sets. 


Louisiana   CONSERVATIONIST 


ird    of    the   month 


CHARLES   R.  SHAW 

Hawks  are  interesting  and  useful  creatures, 
and  along  with  snakes  are  probably  the 
subject  of  more  misinformation  and  un- 
deserved abuse  than   almost  any   other   species. 

The  Buteos  are  all  considered  as  broad-winged 
hawks  and  it  should  come  as  no  surprise  that 
one  should  carry  this  specific  name.  This  is  a 
rather  small  member  of  the  group,  the  adult  be- 
ing about  the  size  of  a  crow,  and  perhaps  its 
most  striking  mark  of  identification  is  the  wide 
black  bands  on  the  short  tail,  separated  by  three 
broad  white  bands.  The  adults  are  a  sort  of  gray- 
ish-brown above,  the  throat  is  white,  but  the  rest 
of  the  underside  is  rather  heavily  mottled  and 
barred  with  dull  brown.  It  might  be  confused  on 
occasion  with  the  larger  Red-shouldered  Hawk 
but  the  more  numerous  and  narrower  bands  on 
the  tail  of  the  latter,  together  with  the  reddish 
coloration  on  the  leading  edge  of  the  wing  and 
to  a  lesser  degree  on  the  breast,  serve  to  dis- 
tinguish it  fairly  well.  The  Broad-winged  Hawk 
is  a  much  chunkier  bird,  being  shaped  more 
like  the  big  Red-tailed  Hawk,  but  with  proportion- 
ately broader  wings  and  shorter  tail. 

The  Broad-winged  Hawks  are  a  woodland 
species,  commonly  found  in  many  of  the  more 
heavily  forested  areas  of  the  state,  during  the 
summer  months.  In  the  fall  huge  flocks  of  these 
hawks  may  sometimes  be  seen  making  their  way 
toward  Central  and/or  South  American  winter- 
ing grounds.  These  flocks  may  be  composed  almost 
entirely  of  Broad-winged  Hawks  or  they  may  be 
a  mixture  of  several  species. 

The  Broad-winged  Hawk  is  a  breeding  bird  in 
our  state  and  the  nest  is  rather  small  for  a  hawk 
and  relatively  poorly  built.  It  may  be  used  for 
only  one  season  or  perhaps  for  several.  Some- 
times it  is  an  entirely  new  structure,  built  usual- 
ly in  a  crotch  near  the  trunk  of  a  fairly  large 
tree,  or  it  may  be  based  on  an  old  crow  or  squirrel 
nest  or  perhaps  an  old  nest  of  some  other  species 
of  hawk.  The  clutch  is  usually  composed  of  two 
or  sometimes  three  whitish  eggs  with  brownish 
markings,  giving  this  bird  a  rather  low  breeding 
potential.  There  is  considerable  variation  in  the 
markings  on  the  egg,  in  amount,  size  and  location 
on  the  egg  as  well  as  in  the  shade  of  brown  and 
there  may  be  underlying  purplish  colorations  as 


BROAD-WINGED    HAWK 

Buteo  platypterus 


well.  The  incubation  period  is  approximately 
three  weeks  although  it  may  run  a  few  days  long- 
er. Both  parents  share  in  the  incubation  and  care 
of  the  young. 

This  is  a  very  beneficial  species  with  about 
75%  of  its  diet  composed  of  mice,  other  rodents 
and  insects.  Very  few  birds  are  taken ;  generally 
these  are  young  and  just  out  of  the  nest.  Par- 
ticularly noticeable  in  the  insect  portion  of  its 
diet  are  large  grasshoppers,  the  larvae  of  large 
moths,  etc.  In  addition  to  the  above  the  Broad- 
winged  Hawk  feeds  to  some  extent  on  snakes, 
frogs,  toads,  salamanders,  lizards,  crawfish,  crabs, 
worms,  etc. 

This  is  one  of  the  gentler  hawks  and  even  its 
voice  is  not  as  loud  and  racous  as  its  relative 
the  Red-Shouldered  Hawk.  Sportsmen  are  doing 
themselves  and  the  landowners  a  great  disservice 
by  the  indiscriminate  killing  of  our  hawks,  most  of 
which  are  quite  beneficial  and  which,  with  the 
exception  of  three  species  (Duck  Hawk,  Coopers' 
Hawk  and  Sharp-shinned  Hawk)  are  protected 
by  law  in  Louisiana  * 


RETURN    REQUESTED 

Louisiana   Wild  Life  and  Fisheries  Co 

400  Royal  Street 

New    Orleans,    Louisiana    70130 


INLAND  LAKES, 
IMPOUNDMENTS 
AND  STREAMS 
PROVIDE  EXCELLENT 
FRESH  WATER 
FISHING  DURING  THE 
SUMMER  MONTHS. 


Bass  and  Bream 
Fishing 


While  spring  and  fall  months  are 
the  most  productive  months  for  fresh 
water  fishing,  summer  months  at- 
tract many  bass  and  bream  fishermen 
to  the  quiet  cool  waters  of  the  in- 
terior. Here,  three  anglers  seek  the 
pleasant  outdoor  recreation  which 
fresh  water  fishing  affords.